Of Tea, Rebellions, and Becoming a Dragon
by Airplane
Summary: Zuko and Jin are strong enough to attempt to lead normal lives in Ba Sing Se, and strong enough to fight when the time comes.
1. The End and the Beginning

AN: This is an attempt at the age old question: What would have to happen for Zuko to stay in Ba Sing Se and how awesome would it be? It's already finished, so I have no excuse not to update every day. (Except for _extreme_ laziness. And maybe sketchy internet access in hotels off the interstate during the holidays. But probably just laziness.) To warn you in advance, it is 29 chapters and around 80,000 words. As further warning, it contains some violence, and a respectable level of cursing, drinking, and non-explicit sex. It starts a bit fluffy and gets more dark and intense as the characters get more comfortable with each other and the war collapses in around them.

Still here?

Alright. Let's jam.

* * *

Chapter 1: The End and the Beginning

_At one point Jin found this courtyard beautiful, but now she was coming to despise it. It just reminded her of painful memories of torture and heartache and Lee's inconsiderate actions. _

"_I don't know what to do."_

_Lee sighed and ran his fingers through his hair._

_She slumped down on the edge of the fountain and buried her face in her hands._

"_I just don't know."_

_He didn't say anything and a silence stretched between them punctuated only by the sounds of evening in the lower ring: the buzzing of insects, footsteps on the main street, women announcing dinner to their children playing outside._

_They had been in this courtyard twice before. Both times he had left her and she had stubbornly followed him. She had followed him despite her better judgment, despite the dangers, and despite his many character flaws that should have pushed her away. _

_She heard the rustle of fabric as he sat next to her. _

"_Do you want the torches lit?" _

"_No."_

_She berated herself that she should never have gone back to the tea shop to see him again after their first date. But she had. And now she felt drained and fragile. She wasn't sure that she had the strength – or that she even wanted - to follow him again. _

* * *

Zuko knew that grin on his uncle's face far too well. That grin meant that his uncle had found some new way to torture him. It meant shopping. It meant getting new clothes. It meant taste testing his latest concoction. It meant open mic night at the tea shop on Thursdays. It meant awkward lectures and life lessons involving incomprehensible metaphors and non-sequitur fortune cookie advice.

In short: this could not be good.

The old man chuckled. "It seems that your lady friend has returned. You must have made quite an impression!"

"What?"

Iroh feigned seriousness. "Now nephew, I know that you do not have so many female acquaintances that you cannot remember their names."

"You mean Jin? What's she doing here?" Zuko craned his neck to see over his uncle's shoulder and out into the front room of the tea shop.

"I do not know. But I imagine that she is here to see you. Or perhaps to try some of my new hibiscus tea. Yes, I think she will like that very much. I'll start brewing some." And with that his uncle shoved him out of the back room.

There was no way Jin wanted to see him again. Their date had been disastrous. At first he thought that maybe it wasn't so bad, but as he considered it, it became worse and worse in his memories until it ballooned into a completely fabricated catastrophe. Now, three days later, he had worked himself up to believe that he was the most socially incompetent, ugly jerk in the world. She couldn't possibly be here to see him again.

Unless she had come by to yell at him. That made more sense. Surely, she had also spent time, thought on it, and now she was going to make a big scene and curse him and belittle him and maybe slap him a few times.

He cringed and walked hesitantly towards her table.

"Umm. Hey."

"Hi, Lee." She set down her menu and beamed at him. "What's this new hibiscus tea like?"

He blinked at her. "You're here for _tea_?"

"Well, you did give me this coupon." She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a slip of paper.

He stared at it.

What the hell was this? She wasn't yelling at him. She wasn't really flirting with him either, which he oddly enough found a little disappointing. He ignored these feelings and continued to stare uncomprehendingly at her coupon.

After a moment she sighed. "Look, Lee. I can tell that you're not interested. Could we just be adults about this and avoid all the awkwardness, or should I find a different place to get a drink?"

Wait. What? "You would… not come here anymore?"

"Sure, if that would make you more comfortable. Of course I like hanging out with you. You're fun. And I love Mushi. So if we could be friends and I can get my tea, then that would be great."

"Oh… Yeah… My uncle's fond of you too."

She grinned.

"I'll … go get your hibiscus stuff."

He fled into the back room, and leaned against the wall trying to figure out what had just happened.

"How did it go?"

His uncle was smiling knowingly. Zuko just stared at him for a moment before holding out the coupon stupidly.

"She wants some tea." His voice was almost a plea. His uncle raised his eyebrows.

"Oh?"

Zuko nodded. His eyes were wide. This didn't make any sense. Why didn't she want to see him? How could she act so relaxed? Why wasn't she mad at him? Why didn't she ask for a second date? Why the hell did he even care? Wasn't this a really good situation for him?

"Arg!" Zuko grabbed his head and retreated further into the back to restock something or lift something heavy. He wasn't really sure, but he had to get away from Jin's calm face and his uncle's smirk and that horribly sweet smelling tea.

Iroh grinned to himself. He liked this girl a lot. She was smooth.

When he brought out her tea, he slipped another coupon onto her tray. They exchanged the smallest of winks as she lifted her cup. She then closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, humming with pleasure.

Yes. He liked her very much.

* * *

"Where does she keep getting those coupons?" Zuko was pacing around the low table in their apartment, stomping and kicking things in his rage. Iroh sat calmly at the table and watched his nephew with a twinkle of amusement. "She's come almost every day for the last week and she always has a coupon. She must go around to every advertisement I put up and take them. Doesn't she know how much work I had to go through to put those up? And that's not how they're supposed to work. Those are meant to be so that a lot of people come by and then want to come back and the second time they come they pay FULL PRICE!" Kick. "We should start a one-coupon-per-person rule." Pace. "She must be stalking me. How else would she know where to get the coupons and why else would she KEEP COMING?"

Iroh took a bite out of his bean paste bun. Zuko's rant hadn't made sense for at least ten minutes.

"Maybe she's forging them. She's found a way to make her own coupons and that's why she has so many. I bet she's some kind of deviant who makes loads of money off the refugees by making fake passports and official documents and all sorts of things."

"Jin is a seamstress. She makes very fine dresses in a work house a few streets over."

"If she has a job, why does she keep coming by? Why doesn't she go to work? _I_ have to go to work every day."

"She comes by as a break between her schooling and her employment. She works very hard and she deserves nice food and pleasant company."

Ok. He hadn't known that. But still, there was something not right about the situation. It made him feel queasy. Zuko huffed and marched to the other side of the room, where he paused. "How do you know so much about her?" No, that was not jealousy in his voice. It was not.

"She told me during one of our many discussions. She is such a charming young woman. You should really talk to her more."

"I talk to her plenty! How can I not talk to her? She's around constantly." Stomp Stomp. He halted suddenly and spun around to face his uncle. "No."

Iroh looked up at him curiously.

"It's you, isn't it? You keep giving her those damned coupons!"

"Language, nephew."

"It is you! You just handed her a whole stack of them so she would keep coming. Didn't you? Why would you do that? If you're pulling something on her, I swear-"

"What are you implying?"

"You and your only giving discounts to pretty girls. It's disgusting. You leave Jin alone!"

Iroh decided that his nephew had completely lost it. Therefore, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to torment him.

He sighed theatrically. "Alright. I will not pursue Jin with any romantic intentions." He began to take another bite of his bun, but stopped and looked up at his nephew with interest. "But the other young ladies are still fair game, correct?"

"Arg!" Zuko resumed pacing. Iroh smiled to himself and continued eating.

"I don't understand, Zuko. I thought you didn't have any interest in Jin."

"I don't!"

"She gets under your skin a great deal for that to be the case. She didn't come by yesterday and I could see your concern." Zuko scoffed. "I think that perhaps now that she has made it clear that she has no interest in you, your attention is drawn. Like so many women, she poses as a challenge. I wish you the best of luck."

Zuko's ears were turning red. If asked about it, he would say it was from anger.

"You're crazy. I don't want to be her friend. You make friends when you intend on keeping them, and I don't want to stay here forever." He stomped off to his room, leaving Iroh alone with a beautiful moment of tranquility.


	2. Attempts

**Chapter 2: Attempts**

Zuko was giving one of the soldiers change when Pao elbowed him between the ribs. "Hey. Your girlfriend's back." Pao was the owner of Pao's Family Tea Shop - not that Pao had any family. If asked, he would make up something about how Iroh and Zuko were his not-so-distant relations. The storefront's name was just something he came up with to entice a more wholesome demographic of patron. This scheme, like so many of his ideas, didn't really work out.

"She's not my girlfriend," Zuko shot back instinctively before looking up and spotting Jin seating herself at the corner table and removing several scrolls from her bag. She looked up to see him staring and waved at him. He quickly broke eye contact.

"Oh, of course she's not," Pao said as if he didn't believe a word of it, and shoved him away from the counter.

Why did everyone keep shoving him? They should mind their own business. But then of course hell would freeze over.

Turning his attention back to Jin, he thought that maybe he should go talk to her. She was friendly enough and she was being a pretty good sport about the whole terrible date fiasco. Plus he felt a strange competitive urge to get to know her better than his uncle did. He didn't know why.

He blew out a puff of air, just as he did to center himself before fire bending and walked towards her. After a moment of standing awkwardly next to her table, he sat down. She looked up from the scroll she was writing and watched him curiously.

Ok. Attempt number one at talking to Jin.

"I'm … uh … taking my break." He scratched his head and looked off to the side. "What are you doing?"

"I have an essay due in a few days. I'm trying to get a start on it so I don't have to write it all after work."

"Oh." She turned back to her scroll and he drummed his fingers on the table. "What's your essay about?"

"I'm discussing themes of dominance in 'Blood and Hope'. It's really very interesting. Well, I think it is, but I won't bore you with it."

"Uh..."

"Have you not read it?"

He shook his head.

"It's a staple of Earth Kingdom literature. You should really read it." She slid one of her many scrolls towards him and he scanned a few lines. "I can let you borrow it."

"Oh, no, I couldn't."

"Sure you can. I'll be done with my essay in a few days, and then you can read it. You can read, right?"

"Of course I can read!"

She shrugged. "Some people can't. I don't want to assume."

"I'm not illiterate!" He stood and slammed both hands against the table, glaring at her as she gave him a blank look.

"I should get back to work," he mumbled and stomped off.

* * *

Zuko frowned. She was back again. He didn't want to talk to her. He wasn't good at talking to girls. Yeah right, he wasn't good at talking to people in general. But then again, he was determined, and he never backed down from a challenge. He wasn't exactly sure what the challenge was or what he expected the outcome to be, but he was just stubborn enough to attempt whatever it was anyway.

Did that make any sense?

No. Not at all.

He sighed. Alright. Attempt number two at talking to Jin:

"You're working again." Yeah, way to state the obvious.

"Yes. I'm doing mathematics today."

"I guess you're pretty smart, huh?"

"I guess so, but I wouldn't want to over sell myself."

"Oh." There was a pause that he found awkward, but she didn't seem to notice as she marked a few figures on her page.

He was just thinking about saying he could hear Pao calling him when she spoke again. "I'm applying to the University to start in the fall. I guess we'll see how smart I am if I get in."

"Ba Sing Se University?" She nodded. "Why would you want to go there?"

"So I can study."

"Do you think you'll really get in?"

"You sound skeptical."

"Well, you're a girl." Oh no. "And I mean, uh, you know, a lot of girls don't go to universities."

"A lot of girls don't finish grammar school."

He didn't really know what to say to that and there was another pause.

"Um, I think I hear Pao calling me."

* * *

Attempt number three at talking to Jin:

He set her tea down on the table and began the conversation as if he hadn't made a fool of himself the day before. He had lain awake the night before thinking of what he should have said.

"Isn't it hard to get into the University if you're from the lower ring?"

"Yes."

"But you're trying anyway?"

"My record speaks for itself. If they're going to be bigoted about it then maybe I don't want to go there."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault." She looked up from her tea and leaned closer to him to whisper, "Actually, I kind of lied about where I lived."

"You…what?"

"I gave them an address in the middle ring. I feel a little bad about it."

"Because you lied to get into college?"

"No. Because I bought into the idea that lower ring kids can't amount to anything. We have to hide who we are if we want to get anywhere in life. It's not fair and it shouldn't be that way. I shouldn't be encouraging it."

He was so taken aback by the sudden, serious turn the conversation had taken that he couldn't think of anything to do but nod and walk away.

* * *

Attempt number four at talking to Jin:

"I think you have so much trouble talking to people because you're wound up so tight."

"What? I'm not wound up."

"Yes you are."

"No. I'm not."

"You're getting defensive."

"I have a right. You're being rude."

"How so?"

"You just … say things."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

He growled.

They sat in silence for a moment, during which he brooded with his arms crossed over his chest and she took a sip of tea and smiled to herself.

"What do you do to relax? You need an outlet for all the frustration you're feeling."

"I'm not frustrated. Quit pretending you know me."

"You should try some meditation."

"I do meditate."

"That's good. Maybe you should do it more."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I jog."

"What?"

"I jog every morning to relax. It clears my head. Maybe you should try that. Do you want to go with me tomorrow morning?"

"No!"

* * *

Attempt number five at talking to Jin:

"Did you go jogging?"

"No!"

"Oh, well I see you didn't change your meditation technique either."

"Arg!"

* * *

Six. Attempt number six at talking to Jin:

"I brought you these to read." She reached into her bag and pulled out about a half dozen scrolls. "I thought that maybe reading would help you relax."

"I don't need to relax."

She ignored him.

"This is 'Blood and Hope'. It's the one I was telling you about. It's a classic. It's an epic tale about the 46th Earth King's rise to power and his staggering fall. Now, it's a good book, but this one – 'Hymn of the Muses'- is by the same author and is so much better. It's a little obscure, but it's one of my favorite books so I brought it for you."

"You didn't have to-"

"It's not a problem. Then this one is by a contemporary author that takes the story of 'Blood and Hope' and tells it from the perspective of the queen. It's an interesting take on the events, so it's worth a read.

"And then I realized that it might be a little hard to understand if you don't have a firm background in the history leading up to the story and the political influences of the time. So I brought you this for reference. It's a very thorough history of the Earth Kingdom, but it's very dense so I don't suggest sitting and reading it." It was a very large scroll and he looked at it with horror.

"Then this one is just an interesting essay on the book. It compares the 46th Earth King's actions to those of some people in Earth Kingdom territories currently occupied by the Fire Nation. It's interesting, so I threw it in. I don't really expect you to read any of this. I just get a little carried away sometimes."

"Um, thanks."

"No problem. Like I said, I thought that reading might help you loosen up."

"I'm fine!"

* * *

Seven. Attempt number seven at talking to Jin:

"If you get in to the University, what will you study there?"

"Literature. I want to be a writer."

"Like novels?"

"Well," she leaned across the table closer to him and lowered her voice. "Do you know how some villages have bulletins where they write about important events in the community?"

"Yeah."

"I want to do that, only on a larger scale. Like here. I could write about issues that are important to the people of the lower ring. I can get them information. I can bring attention to the problems they face. Maybe do something about it."

He stared at her. "Do you think that the Dai Li would go for that?"

"No, I don't. But things change and maybe that's one of the problems that needs addressing."

He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "You shouldn't say these kinds of things so openly. I wouldn't want the Dai Li to come after you."

"Aww. You do care."

"No. I just don't want them to make a scene in the shop. And anyway, my uncle would miss you."

"I'd miss him too."

The way she said that made him feel uncomfortable somehow.

* * *

Eight.

"This book was pretty good." It was obvious that he was trying to stop himself from saying something stupid, or trying to contain a great many things. He sat down across from her and slid a scroll across the table. She smiled when she saw that he had set down her copy of 'Hymn of the Muses.'

"What did you like about it?"

"Umm..." He scratched his head nervously. He didn't know how much he could tell her without looking like a pansy. That it was one of the best books he had ever read? That the characters spoke to him in a way that made him both excited and uncomfortable? That he now wanted to read all her favorite books?

"It's like… a song. The way the words flow. It has a rhythm to it. And it's as if … the characters know how I'm feeling. It's … nice."

She beamed at him. "Why did you start with that one?"

"You said it was the best." He was sounding too nice so he added, "It was also the shortest."

"The essay was the shortest."

"Yeah. I read that too, but I didn't like it."

"What?"

"Whoever wrote it sounds like an arrogant ass."

"He happens to be a very intelligent man."

"You know him?"

She sat up straighter. "I was hoping that he would be my adviser at the University."

"Why?"

"He's brilliant."

"So you have a crush on him or something?"

"You're insane."

"You're insane."

"Oh, go away, Lee."

* * *

Nine.

"What are you doing?"

"Reading and drinking tea."

"You're drinking that weird flowery tea that my uncle just came up with."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I thought I'd try it."

"You always hate them."

"I do not. You didn't tell Mushi that. Did you?"

"No."

"How would you know anyway?"

"You make a weird face when you drink it."

"I do not." She unconsciously moved a hand up to cover her mouth and nose.

"He won't be offended if you don't try his stupid inventions."

"Well, since you know everything, why don't you tell me what tea I should order?"

"You should have plain green. It's your favorite. What's wrong with you?"

She stared at him for several seconds.

He tried again, "I make it every day so it's ready for you when you get here. When you order something else it just goes to waste."

She just continued to stare at him.

"What? Crap, girls are crazy!"

* * *

Ten.

There was a tension in her voice and stress across her face.

"I'm sorry. I really can't talk to you today, Lee. I really need to get this done."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" He slid into the seat across from her, looking more concerned than he would like.

"No. Look, my finals are coming up and there's a big party at the palace so my dress at work needs to get finished and if I don't get this assignment done while I'm here I'm going to have even more to do after work."

"Calm down. It can't be that bad. When are you done with work tonight?"

"Midnight."

"What?"

She was getting impatient with him. "Midnight. Twelve o'clock. I start at four, I end at twelve. It's an eight hour work day."

"You work that much?"

"Yes."

"And then you do homework?"

"Yes."

"How do you get home at night?"

"By flying mole rat."

"What? Really?"

"No. I walk."

"Alone?"

"Yes."

"You can't do that."

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous."

"Oh, please."

"Where do you work? I'll walk you home when you're done."

"Are you crazy?"

"No. You are. Do you know what kind of people wander around here at night looking for unsuspecting girls?"

"Yes. I know. And I can take care of myself."

"You're stupid."

"You're infuriating."

"Give me the address of your dress shop."

"Don't order me around."

"Give me the address of your dress shop, _please_."

"Go away."


	3. Night

AN: Excerpt from Sophocles' "Antigone", translated by David Grene

* * *

**Chapter 3: Night**

Zuko waited outside Jin's workshop that night. The air was unseasonably brisk, chilling his back against the cobblestone wall. The street was poorly lit and oddly quiet compared to the bustle of the lower ring during the day. He cursed Jin yet again for being so idiotic and walking alone. It was all her fault that he was cold.

After a quarter of an hour the workshop door opened and about a dozen girls trooped out. Two at the front of the group noticed him and whispered to each other behind their hands. They walked away, arm in arm, peeking over their shoulders at him and giggling.

Jin was near the back of the group and she stopped and stared at him for a moment before marching past without further acknowledgment. He fell into step next to her and they walked in silence for quite some time.

He rather liked not having to come up with conversation topics. He could tell that she was irritated with him by the way she refused to make eye contact and by the frown she had forced onto her face. But he didn't really care. He was irritated with her too. Stupid girl. What would happen if she was attacked? Had she even thought about that? She was supposed to be smart.

Finally, Jin couldn't take the silence any more.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm walking you home."

"You don't have to."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't."

"Fine. I don't. I'm doing this from the kindness of my heart and you'd better remember that."

"So now you think I'm indebted to you because you're following me around?"

"You're the one following me."

"Patronizing your place of business does not constitute following you."

"I'm walking with you. Deal with it."

"How did you know where I worked anyway?"

"My uncle."

"Ah."

Their silence was broken only by the sound of their footsteps against the street. Zuko risked a sideways glance at her and noticed the dark circles under her eyes. As if she had some sort of sixth sense, she met his gaze and he hurriedly looked away and cleared his throat.

She stopped walking. "What is on your back?"

"Dao swords."

"You're armed?"

"Of course I'm armed. I'm out here to protect you and to do that I'm armed."

"Spirits. You're taking this way too far."

"I told you, there are bad guys out here."

"And I told you that I know that."

"You don't act like you do."

"How am I supposed to act then?"

"Let me walk you home and stop being cranky."

"Cranky?"

"I'm just being nice. It's what anyone with any sense of chivalry would do, and I'm shocked that everyone you know is so uncultured that none of them considered doing it before me." Jin didn't know what to think of this. "It's not like we're friends or anything." Ok, that one was just insulting and also a big fat lie.

"You have an odd sense of chivalry."

"You're not sophisticated enough to know what you're talking about."

Jin chose to ignore this.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her into moving again.

They approached a building that he assumed was her tenement. It was a shabby wooden structure with several families worth of clothes lines hanging between windows and a few failed attempts at sprucing the place up (an ugly looking flowered plant, a recent layer of yellow paint that had dried unevenly, and a small wind chime).

"How much work do you have left to do tonight?"

"I have to memorize a passage to recite tomorrow and read three chapters from my history book."

"You look terrible. Are you really going to be able to do all that?"

"Yes."

"Can I help at all?"

"I thought you already helped by walking me home."

"I told you, that's just polite."

"You're never polite." They were standing in front of her door now, glaring at each other. She felt her already weakened willpower give way under his blazing glare.

"Do you know how to heat up stew?"

"Of course."

"Then you can make me dinner before you go."

"Fine."

It was strange letting him into her house. But she forgot all about him when she started reading her passage over and over.

Her home was small and dirty, reminding him of a beaver-mole nest. The first floor was one room that served as kitchen and dining room, and he guessed it would also be a living room if anyone ever spent time there. The upstairs was probably small bedrooms. The plumbing was probably outdoors.

Where was her family? Were they asleep? Did they work nights? Did she even have a family? He realized that he really didn't know much about her.

The main feature of the room was the large brick stove, where a pot of leftover stew sat on dying embers. He poked the coals with a stick and discretely fire bent the stove back to life. Jin was so entranced in her work that she didn't even notice when he sat her dinner down next to her. He fixed himself a bowl and sat across from her at the table.

When he finished his stew he spoke to get her attention. "Eat it or it will get cold."

"What? Oh. Thank you." She shifted the bowl closer and took an overly large mouthful before turning back to her scroll.

"Give it here."

"What?"

"Give me the passage you're supposed to be memorizing."

"I really don't have time for this."

"When I was in school we did a lot of memorization and reciting. It's easier to do when you do it out loud and it's easier when you have a classmate help you."

She blinked at him, hesitated, and then scooted the scroll across the table.

"Let me hear it."

"'Lucky are those whose lives know no taste of sorrow-'"

"No."

"Yes. That's right."

"No, you're doing it wrong. You need to sound confident."

"I'm not confident yet."

"That's why you need to sound like you are. Sit up straighter. Speak louder. You're smart, and pretty, and determined. Let people see that."

She paused before slightly adjusted her posture. "'Lucky are those whose lives know no taste of sorrow. But for those whose house has been shaken by God there is never cessation of ruin; it steals on generation after generation within a breed…'" She paused trying to remember the next part.

"There's more."

"I know there's more. I don't remember it. Give my scroll back." She reached for it and he pulled it further away from her.

"'For the future near and far…'"

"Oh yeah. 'For the future near and far, and the past, this law holds true-'"

"Good."

"Thanks."

"No. The word is 'good' not 'true'."

"'True' sounds better."

"That's not the issue here."

"Screw you. 'For the future near and far, and the past, this law holds GOOD: nothing very great comes to the life of mortal man without ruin to accompany it.'"

After an hour she had it down, and so did Zuko. He actually had it memorized before she did, but he hadn't had a very strenuous day. He didn't like the passage. It was obnoxious.

She gave him a very tired smile. "Thank you for your help, but I don't want to keep you out any later."

"You're not really going to start reading history now, are you?"

"Yes. And I don't think you can help me with that."

"You should go to bed."

"No. I still have work."

"If you don't get enough sleep your oration will suck and all the work you've done tonight will be worthless."

"I'm used to not getting much sleep."

"Because you're weird. Go to sleep. If it's that important, do it tomorrow or get notes from one of your classmates."

"You're a bad influence."

"Then quit following me around."

"You're the one that followed me home."

"Then I'll leave." He stood abruptly and headed for the door, shouting "Later" over his shoulder.

Jin sat in the empty room and stirred her cold stew once. She decided maybe she could do her history reading tomorrow.

* * *

The next night he was there again. He was still armed, and they did not speak for several blocks.

"How did your recitation go?" His voice was hesitant, almost as if he was apologizing for something. That was ridiculous. He didn't have anything to be sorry about. He cleared his throat.

"It went very well, thank you."

"How much work do you have to do tonight?"

"I don't have to do anything, but I should study a bit. My finals probably won't be so bad, but I like to be thoroughly prepared."

"Over achiever."

"Over achiever who's going to graduate."

"So? I graduated. It's not hard."

"I'll be the first in my family to do it."

"Oh." Zuko trailed off in embarrassment.

"Is this going to become a daily thing? You coming all the way out here just to walk me home?"

"Do you know anyone else who can look after you?"

"I can look after myself."

"Maybe we should get you a knife. I can show you how to use it."

"So those broad swords aren't just for decoration?"

"No."

"If giving me a knife will get you to go away, then that works for me."

"You're right. I should keep walking you home."

She glared at him. "Fine. I don't care what you do. Walking around in the dead of night. If this is what you do in your spare time it's no wonder you don't have any fun."

He made a noise that sounded a bit like a growl.

When they reached her front door she paused. She really didn't have a reason to invite him in and he really should go home.

"Well, I …"

"Later," he said dismissively, and turned without another word to stroll off down the street. She was left standing with her hand on the door and a surprised look on her face as she watched him disappear into the dark. He was so weird.

Jin found her mother sitting at the table, apparently waiting for her. "Hello, dear."

"Hi, momma." Jin bent down to kiss her mother's cheek before moving to the hearth and dishing herself some rice and pork-beef. "What are you doing up so late?"

"Work kept me up. When I finished I thought that I could stay up a bit more until you came home. It feels like I haven't seen you in ages." Jin smiled and sat at the table. "How was your day?"

"Alright. I did a recitation in class and it went well. Then I'm almost finished with my dress. Just the hem is left and I'll be done."

"That's good." Her mother gave her a tired smile. A flicker of pride and possibly tears danced in her eyes.

"Thank you, momma."

"And who was the boy who walked you home?"

"That's just Lee. He's got it into his head that I can't walk home alone."

"Sounds like a nice boy."

"Yeah. He sounds that way."

Her mother smiled knowingly. "I love you, Jin. And I'm very proud."

"Thank you, momma."

* * *

The next night Jin actually looked happy to see him as she came out of the workshop. Finally, she had dropped the irritated act she had been attempting, and accepted that he was right and she was wrong. Victory was his.

She grabbed his elbow to hold him in place until the other seamstresses left, and then forcefully pulled him into the workhouse, slipping back in before the door finished closing. She led him quickly across the large work room. It was a high ceilinged, dark room full of tables and rolls of fabric and human models that rose out of the dark like specters. It was a bit too quiet, leading Zuko to suspect that they were doing something illicit.

Jin wove down the aisles with confidence and stopped in front of a messy table and a model of a woman's torso covered by an amazing gown.

"It's finished," she whispered.

He didn't know anything about dresses or sewing, but he easily recognized that this was a work of art. It was a deep green color that almost seemed to glow in the moonlight from the high windows. There was spectacular, detailed embroidery that accented the hip and waist. Then there was the fact that instead of a high necked collar, the dress rested off the shoulder, showing three scandalous back vertebrate.

"It's beautiful." His voice too was quiet, almost reverent. Neither of their eyes left the dress. "Who's going to wear it?"

"Lady Fae. She paid six thousand gold pieces. It took me weeks, and I have a huge back log now. But that's alright."

"You get six thousand gold pieces?"

"Oh no. I just get my wages."

"When do you give it to her?"

"I don't. I give it to the manager tomorrow and he'll take it up to the shop in the middle ring to give it to her."

"You won't get to see her wear it?"

"No." Her voice held the smallest hint of sadness. "But at least I get to show it to you."


	4. The Jasmine Dragon

**Chapter 4: The Jasmine Dragon**

There were two well dressed men in the tea shop. That was strange in and of itself, but the way they were eying Mushi made Jin wary.

The two men nodded to one another and approached the old tea server. "So you're the genius behind this incredible brew. The whole city is buzzing about you. I hope Pao pays you well."

"Good tea is its own reward." Jin relaxed. Whatever these men were up to, Mushi wouldn't be taken in by it.

"But it doesn't have to be the only reward. How would you like to have your own tea shop?"

Mushi gaped. So did Jin. "My own tea shop? This is a dream come true."

A really convenient dream come true. There had to be some sort of catch.

At this point Pao ran over to interrupt their conversation. He looked slightly panicked. "What's going on here? Are you trying to poach my tea maker?"

"Sorry Pao, that's business for you, am I right?"

"Mushi, if you stay, I will make you Assistant Manager. Wait, Senior Assistant Manager."

Oh, poor, clueless Pao.

The well dressed man countered with, "I'll provide you with a new apartment in the upper ring. The tea shop is yours to do whatever you want. Complete creative freedom."

"I even get to name the shop?"

"Of course!"

Jin exchanged a glance with Lee. He didn't look pleased with this windfall either.

Pao tried one final plea, "Uh, Senior Executive Assistant Manager!"

Jin grimaced as Mushi pushed the teapot in his hands into Pao's chest.

He then turned to Lee. "Did you hear, nephew? This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the upper ring of the city."

"That's right young man. Your life is about to change for the better."

Lee muttered in an extremely Lee-like manner, "I'll try to contain my joy," and stepped outside.

Jin popped up to follow him. Outside the tea shop they stood next to each other, both leaning against the wall, both staring at the ground.

"That was weird."

"Yeah."

"What do you think that man wants from Mushi?"

"I don't know. Tea?"

That made her smile. Surely if that guy was up to something, Lee could handle it if Mushi was too moon-eyed to notice. "This is a great blessing for you and your uncle. It's everyone's dream to live in the upper ring."

"It's not my dream."

They became lost in their own thoughts again.

"I guess I won't see you as often anymore," she said. "I can't come after school and you won't walk me home at night anymore."

"You'll find another place to study."

"Maybe your uncle can teach Pao how to make the tea really well before he goes. That way I won't have to find a new place."

"I can teach him."

"Do you think Pao will be alright? He looked a little ill."

"He'll get over it."

"I don't want to come here if he's going to be all moody. But then maybe he'll just take your place as the grumpy person I see every day." She meant it as a joke. But he wasn't smiling.

"Sure."

There were many things that she wanted to say. She wanted to beg him to stay. She wanted to talk more with him about how sketchy that man looked. She wanted to tell him that she didn't work on Fridays and Saturdays and she would graduate in a week and not have school any more, and maybe they could meet up then and do an activity or something. She wanted her books back before he left. She wanted him to say that he would still see her. She wanted to know if he was thinking about these things too.

She remained quiet, and leaned her head back against the wall to stare up at the sky. That's when she saw the flutter of paper. He reached out and grabbed one of the falling pages, and she leaned over his shoulder to read along with him.

"The Avatar is missing his bison."

"Oh, poor thing." There was something strange passing across Lee's face. "I've heard stories about his bison." She had the need to keep talking to him. Then she could keep him close for just another moment. "It's his spirit animal so their souls are connected or something. It's furry and flies and has an arrow on its head just like the Avatar. I bet they're devastated without each other. Do you think he was captured? Who would do such a thing?"

"This means … the Avatar is in the city." His voice sounded distant. He hadn't listened to any of the nonsense she had said. He looked to the sky and then ran off to scale the wall of the building next to the tea shop. He climbed to the roof and looked around as if he would be able to see the bison from there.

He did not come down.

It wasn't exactly the goodbye Jin wanted.

* * *

Zuko and Iroh spent the next several days preparing the new shop. Iroh was ecstatic, and as they toured the building the first time he bounded around and described all the ways he would decorate and all the things that they needed to buy. Zuko was beyond irritated. This move was not only pushing his future in a direction he didn't like, but it also included many things he already hated doing (shopping, decorating, _tea_). The only thought pushing him on was that the Avatar was within his reach. Just a few more days and he could leave his uncle, satisfied that he was taken care of and happy. Once he caught the Avatar he could go home and get away from this terrible city.

His uncle dictated a shopping list – a _preliminary_ shopping list. Quon, their benefactor, watched over the two from a small distance with an odd smile on his face. It was disconcerting. Jin was right, that guy was weird.

The first day they surveyed the building then hired a carpenter to make the tables and chairs, and an artist to make a floor mosaic, then they put up advertisements for new tea servers, and then they wondered through the lower ring buying lots and lots of useless crap. By the end of the day, Zuko was sure that the decorations in the Jasmine Dragon would be hideous. They dropped off all Iroh's purchases then traveled to their new apartment and had a meager dinner. Iroh began unpacking while Zuko announced that he was going out.

He complained about his uncle's shopping habits the entire way from Jin's work to her house. Jin was so excited to see him that she didn't care what he talked about.

The next day Iroh interviewed several girls for tea server positions. Zuko groaned when he saw that they were all young and attractive. He really should have read the advertisement that his uncle put up. "Sketchy elderly gentleman seeks pretty girl to drink tea and sing songs." He groaned again as he listened in on some of the interviews. With one girl, they just talked about shoes. It seemed Mushi wanted new shoes and the girl knew where he could find some. The next girl had experience as a waitress, so they talked about flower arrangements for the front window of the shop. Of course. What else would they talk about? The next girl said very little as she and his uncle played pai sho. They were "testing out the new board".

Zuko spent the day painting the walls and then arranging some of the "essential elements" of the tea shop: two tacky golden dragons that stood outside on either side of the door. They were heavy and it was a pain in the ass to move them.

That night Jin wanted to hear all about the new girls. Zuko didn't have much to tell her except that he was sure that they were dimwitted and that his uncle was a dirty old man. Jin didn't believe him.

The next day they were joined by the new girls: Mimi, Yun, and Suri, who surprisingly turned out to all be from the lower ring. Of course this meant that they all needed nice clothing if they were going to pass off looking like they were from the upper ring. And this meant that they had to go dress shopping. Zuko managed to get out of it by volunteering to go get the girls' paperwork in order so they could travel easily between rings. Upon his return, he found that his uncle had also bought new clothes for him and demanded that he try them on.

The girls turned out to not be so bad. They were used to doing strenuous activities and working with their hands so they were eager to help when the carpenter arrived with all the furniture they had ordered.

"Are those new clothes?" Jin asked.

"Yes."

"They need to be tailored. Do you want me to do it for you?"

"What? Now?"

"No. Not now. Can't have you taking off your clothes in the middle of the road."

"I'm not taking off my clothes."

"It would be hard to fix them while you're wearing them, but we could give it a try. Are you busy tomorrow?"

"Probably."

"Good. I'll stop by then."

The next day Zuko dealt with all sorts of distributors, setting prices and quantities on all the goods they needed. Iroh demanded that there be several exotic teas available so Zuko ended up dealing with four different vendors for tea leaf, another for pastries, and another for fruit and sugar and honey. His uncle made him do this, saying that he "needed to practice his negotiating skills." Zuko speculated that his uncle was trying to keep him busy or wear him out or drive him crazy, but when he saw how he could be spending his day back at the shop he didn't complain so much. Iroh was teaching the girls all about tea: about the history of tea, where each came from, the different medicinal benefits of each, what each tasted like, how to brew each one, how to serve in the proper manner, and how to sing a song that was really not about tea at all. They seemed to have a great time.

"Lee?" Jin asked.

"What?"

"You seem … different lately."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. More … determined. Is there something going on with the new shop that's concerning you?"

"It's a lot of work. And I'm putting a lot of effort into this, when I really don't want to be there."

"So you're just pushing yourself through fixing up the shop?"

"Yes."

"Where would you rather be?"

He didn't answer.

"You know, everybody comes to Ba Sing Se looking for a second chance. It gives you a clean slate to start your life over. Most people don't make anything of that chance, but you … you and your uncle have almost done it. All you need to do is accept it. Appreciate it. I know it's hard, but if you do that, I really think that you'll be happy here. And what more could you want out of life than happiness?"

"You're too easy going."

"And you try too hard. For the hundredth time, relax. Enjoy it."

The next day the vendors showed up and Zuko stocked the back room. The girls helped him and in the process he started to get to know them (even though he didn't want to). They each had their own personalities, which for some reason surprised him.

Mimi laughed easily, which would reveal a dimple. It kind of looked like she was biting her cheek. She was full of mocking remarks and quickly took to poking fun at Zuko just to test his limits. They would bicker to the point where Mushi would have to break it up.

Yun was tall and proud without being conceited. She regarded everyone with a cool indifference even as she gossiped with Mimi or discussed which club she would visit that evening. Zuko had a suspicion that her eyebrows were drawn on with a pencil.

Suri was much younger than the rest of them. Zuko guessed thirteen, but what did he know? She was quiet and down to earth. She was a diligent worker and a ready listener. She had a mischievous twinkle in her eye, which led him to think that she was silently plotting something. He learned that she was an earth bender after an incident involving the new mosaic tile. Mushi quickly restricted her from using her skills inside the Jasmine Dragon. Zuko also learned that mosaic tiles were not easy to fix and that artisans took it very personally when they found out that their work has been destroyed.

The girls had gotten to know each other pretty well over the last few days and as a result conversation was comfortable. Well, it was comfortable amongst them and Zuko tried to stay out of it.

He and Mimi were polishing table tops when the door opened and an elegant young woman stepped in. "We're closed," he said without looking up.

"I know. I have business with Mushi."

His head snapped up and his mouth fell open. "Jin?"

She laughed and walked in. He gaped at her deep green dress (that she probably made herself), and her made up face, and her tamed hair. She spun around slowly so he could get the full effect.

"What do you think?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I was wondering if these coupons were good here." She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a thick stack of papers tied together with brown string.

Zuko found this amazingly annoying. "This is the Jasmine Dragon. Not Pao's."

"Then another stack of coupons is necessary as I assume you're raising your prices."

He took the coupons from her and stuffed them into the front of his tunic, glaring at her.

"I came to ask Mushi about it, not you."

"Why do you look like that?"

"So I can come to the upper ring without the gate guards badgering me."

"What is that in your hair?"

"Hair sticks. I borrowed them from a neighbor."

"They look like chopsticks."

Jin ignored him and turned to Mimi. "Hi, I'm Jin."

"Mimi." The girls smiled and bowed to each other.

"Can you take them out and eat with them?" Zuko asked.

"Of course she can't," Mimi scoffed. "Her hairdo would all fall apart."

"It'd look better that way," he grumbled.

Mimi decided to ignore him too. "You from the middle ring?"

"Lower."

"Me too!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Mushi's great for hiring us."

"I know. He's such a dear."

"Why do you have paint on your face?" Zuko interrupted.

"It's called make up."

"It's terrible."

"Sorry you feel that way."

"It distracts from your eyes."

Both girls gave him blank stares.

"What? … Ugh. I'm going to get my uncle."

After an hour of fawning over every possible decorative decision, trying three kinds of tea, telling Mushi what a genius he was, and comparing notes with Mimi on how best to annoy Zuko (the obsessive way he stocked the storage room, his hair, coupons), Jin dragged him off to see his new house. He found this really odd. She had never seen his old apartment and they weren't exactly moved in yet.

As soon as they were inside she pulled out a box of pins and started sticking them in his sleeve.

"What the hell?"

"Your clothes don't fit and it's driving me crazy. Hold still." She grabbed his head and turned it away from her and then moved his arms out to the side.

She mumbled several times about shoddy work and people having no pride. Zuko stood absolutely still.

"Could you please stop it? I've got to go get something."

"It can wait."

"My clothes don't need tailoring."

"Yes they do. How can you say that?"

"You don't need to waste your time." He shoved her away and pulled open a box that was stacked in the living room. He dug through it, swore, then opened another, then another.

"Here." He held a bag out for her. "It's your books."

"Oh. Thanks."

"I also got you this." He reached in the bag and pulled out a knife. It was nice without being ornate and it was heavier than she expected. "I can show you a few moves and how to use it."

She stared up at him. "Lee, I…"

"I taught Pao how to make green tea. It's the only one he knows how to do well, but I don't think that really matters."

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been planning something the last few days. And now you're giving me my stuff back and giving me this so you don't have to walk me home any more… You've tied up all the loose ends so that you think I'll be taken care of… And you've taken care of your uncle too. You got his tea shop set up." The expression on his face told her that she was right. "You don't need your shirt tailored because you don't think you'll need it. What are you planning?"

"Nothing. I got the shop set up because that's my job and I gave you your stuff back because I'm not going to see you again."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm moving to the upper ring."

"You've already moved to the upper ring and I still see you every day."

"Well, that's not going to happen anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because you don't need me and we're not friends."

"We are friends."

"We shouldn't be."

That was the first honest thing he said since they came in the house, and it took her by surprise.

"Lee, I have a bad feeling about this."

"I told you, I'm not planning anything."

"Idiot."

They stood and glared at each other.

Why was she putting in so much effort when he was so stupid and rude?

Because she liked him, she answered herself.

Why did she like him?

She had no idea.

She sighed and gave up. "Is there anything I can say to change your mind?"

"No."

"Please be careful."

"I'm always careful."

"You're full of it." She quickly pulled the pins out of his shirt and shook her head in disgust. "You look awful." She grabbed the bag with her books and knife and wondered if he had read them.

"Goodbye, Lee."

As soon as she left Zuko went after the Avatar's bison.


	5. The Funeral

**Chapter 5: the Funeral**

The bison licked him as he let it free. His entire right side was covered in a thick layer of saliva that dampened and crumpled his clothes and left his hair in a traumatized cowlick. The spit was sticky and smelly and it itched against his skin.

He was probably allergic to the stuff. Typical. He stumbled as he was overcome by a wave of dizziness.

He dreamed of dragons - dragons of red and blue whispering in his ear. They coiled around his body and squeezed and pulled, with slow movements that reminded him less of the slithering of snakes and more of the self-assured readiness of a tiger-dillo prepared to pounce. The two beasts were locked in a quiet battle with one another and he was caught in the middle. He was a battle field, a pawn, a prize to be won. He couldn't think with them both hissing at him, with the intense heat from their fire, and with the fuzzy, dull headache that kept growing more acute. He didn't really want to follow either of them. Couldn't he just rest and think? Just for a moment? Cold scales slithered over his body, chilling him until he shivered so violently that he retched.

-This is not a natural sickness-

A dragon made of jade was singing to him. It was the strangest lullaby he had ever heard, soft and scared and lilting. Over time its voice altered to that of his mother as she gently ran a cool cloth across his forehead, then to his uncle, then the dragon was back with its tender eyes. It cradled his head and helped him sip water, murmuring words of comfort.

The blue dragon hissed in displeasure. It circled from a distance as though repulsed by the jade dragon. It stalked quietly, waiting for its moment to strike. The jade dragon scoffed, rolled its massive eyes, and shook its bottle green head. –Honestly, Mushi, you're so terrible- Zuko curled up against its hide, feeling the steady rise and fall of its armor as it breathed. He closed his eyes and slept.

* * *

Jin grinned up at the boy leaning against the wall of the work shop. Lee was back. He was back and the corners of his mouth were twitching towards what might be a smile.

She stood in front of him for a moment, watching the way his eyes shimmered in the wavering light, the way his shoulders were held back out of his usual slouch, and the way the muscles in his jaw relaxed as she approached.

"I'm sorry for not walking you home the last few days. It won't happen again."

"I'll forgive you but I'm still irritated."

She turned and started her walk down the street, staying ahead of him for a while so that he couldn't see the grin stamped across her face. She had no idea that he was watching the back of her head and smiling too.

Once she had tamed her smile into something more appropriate, she glanced over her shoulder at him, and turned to walk backwards with her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes searching his face. "Are you feeling better?"

"How did you know I was sick?"

She stopped and gave him an incredulous look. Grabbing his sleeve, she held it up, practically shoving it into his face. "You really didn't notice? You're so dense."

"Did you … tailor my clothes?"

She gave a tragic sigh. "Yes, I came over and fixed your clothes. I also watched you vomit twice, helped unpack your stuff, and your uncle tried to teach me to play pai sho."

He looked slightly mortified.

"Well, I'm not sure he was really trying. He kept making up new rules so that he would win. 'Every third turn, the wheel tile turns counter clockwise' and 'the chrysanthemum tile can move five spaces in a turn if you have more than four harmonies.' It's far too confusing for me."

"Yeah," he croaked, "those aren't real rules."

"Oh well." She pulled him into movement again, giving him a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Did you just come by to be obsessive about my clothes?"

"No, I came to see if your uncle was alright without you. You see, I'd thought you'd run off. And I figured that Mushi can't cook for himself, so I brought him some noodles, and then I found you there half dead. Goodness, you scared both of us senseless."

"You made him noodles?"

"They were take away."

"Ah." He couldn't really think of anything more to say. It was distressing to think of what she may have witnessed while he was sick. What had he said during his hallucinations? He tried to think, but it was all blurry and surreal. And she had seen him throw up? Gross. He would never live that down.

He hazarded a glance out of the corner of his eye. She was smiling. He felt slightly reassured, and soon he realized that he was smiling too.

"Sorry I missed your grand opening."

"It wasn't that exciting. I'm sorry I missed your graduation."

"Don't worry about it. It would have been boring for you."

"No. I don't think so."

She felt slightly flushed and turned her face away from him.

"So what are you doing with all your free time now?"

"Helping my mother. Sleeping eight hours. Visiting with friends. I'll come by this weekend and you can show me how to use your broad swords."

"What?"

"This knife is a girly weapon."

"You're a girl."

"You point that out often. I wonder why."

"It takes a lot of effort to master dual swords."

"Well, _you_ did it."

"You're not very nice."

"It's payback. I told you that I'm still irritated."

"Fine."

"Why are you smiling?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I've got a new apartment, the tea shop opened successfully, and I'm walking with you. What's wrong if I want to smile?"

"Are you sure that fever didn't give you brain damage?"

Zuko laughed. She had never heard him laugh before. It made her pause. He just looked down at her with the most beautiful, peaceful smile she had ever seen.

* * *

Zuko continued to walk her home every night, which was impressive since it was an hour train ride from his apartment to the lower ring. They silently agreed to not mention it.

She made up for their diminished interaction by announcing every now and then that he was going to take her to eat, or he was going to train her to use broad swords, or he was going to buy her something heavy and then carry it for her. She didn't ask any more. She told him. And he complied without any fuss.

"Widen your stance."

"More?"

"Yes. More."

"I can't in this dress."

"Then you shouldn't have worn that dress."

"I see that the friendlier version of Lee is still rude."

"You wanted me to teach you."

"Teach. Not bicker with me about how wide my stance is."

They were in one of the upper ring parks. He hadn't bothered to give her swords, but figured that if their lessons lasted that long he could climb a tree and get her a couple of sticks.

He took a deep breath and explained in what he thought was a patient tone, "If your stance is weak, then your root can be easily disrupted."

She stuck her tongue out at him. He shoved her and she fell on her butt with an "oh!"

"See, your stance wasn't strong enough."

"Jerk." She stood, brushed herself off, looked around to see if anyone was watching, and tied her dress up to above her knees. With a widened stance she said, "Let's go again."

After an hour she managed to block him. After two hours, she got a hit in. She was a quick study. Her body was athletic, and her speed and agility made up for her lack of strength. He probably would have to give her some swords soon.

She collapsed spread eagle on the ground, announcing that practice was over for the day. He flopped down next to her and started pulling up blades of grass.

"I like this park. We don't have things like it in the lower ring. It reminds me of this field near our village that my mother used to take us to when I was really little before we came to Ba Sing Se. We would roll down the hill and play tag and hide and seek. This place is much nicer, but it still kind of reminds me of it."

"Us?"

"Me and my brother."

"What's his name?"

"Keung. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

He paused, wondering how much he should lie. "I have a younger sister."

She looked up at him like he should say something more.

He shrugged. "We don't really get along."

"Why not?"

"She's just … mean."

"Do you miss her?"

"Not really."

She propped herself up on her elbows. "Seriously?"

"Yeah."

She searched his face for a moment. "I used to think my brother was mean. He was always picking on me and doing things that I was too young to do and rubbing it in my face."

"You used to? What changed?"

"He went off to war and died."

"Oh."

She turned away from him.

"I'm so sorry."

"Make up with your sister. She can't be that bad. Little sisters need their big brothers."

He didn't bother to tell her that Azula was that bad. It was funny really, he envied her for having a good relationship with her brother, and she envied him for having a sibling that was alive.

He gazed off toward the towers of the palace in the distance. "My cousin died in the war. He was always really decent to me. We used to go to the beach." A fleeting smile crossed his face then faded. "It really tore up my uncle."

"Poor Mushi." She sighed. "Stupid war."

"Yeah. Stupid war."

* * *

Suri came up to Zuko while he was going through some paperwork in the back room. "Lee, there's a weird girl out there. Can you take a look?"

"If it's Mimi in a funny hat and this is some sort of surprise, it's really lame."

She rolled her eyes. "No. Come look. It's suspicious." She grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the office. She opened the door a crack and gestured for him to peek out.

The girl did look strange. She was slouching at a table across the room, her hand splayed over the top of her tea cup as if trying to keep the steam contained, her finger tips latching around the lip to lift it like a spider. Her figure was small and stringy as if she was underfed, and she had an aura of anger and dishevelment. "Her manners are a bit … coarse. And she didn't know anything about tea."

"Lots of people don't know about tea. It's your job to help them out. And anyway, it just looks like she's from the lower ring and she's trying to pass off as upper ring." The girl's dress was actually put on improperly, and her face paint made her look like a malnourished raccoon. Zuko grinned at Suri, "That happens a lot, you know."

She rolled her eyes. She had been taking notes from Jin on how to ignore him. "There's just something … off. I have this feeling that she's dangerous."

"You're just paranoid." The strange girl's eyes met his and he suddenly knew the feeling Suri was talking about. He looked away quickly and slid the door shut. "If she's bothering you that much have Yun take over the table. She'll be gone in a little while, so don't worry about – AAAH!"

A throwing knife was embedded in his shoulder. Suri screamed, and Zuko fell to the ground with a weight on his chest. All the air was knocked out of him and he hit his head against the floor with a sickening crack. It took him a moment to realize that there was a second knife at his throat.

"Do you recognize me?" The girl's voice was a hiss.

"What the hell!" His vision was a little blurry and up close the girl's makeup was slightly frightening.

Her bony knee pushed harder into his chest. "Do you recognize me!"

"No! Get off!"

Suri was cowering in the corner with a hand over her mouth, being absolutely useless.

The girl on his chest yanked out the knife from his shoulder and pressed two fingers viciously into the wound, causing him to cry out. Her fingers came out bloody and she proceeded to wipe two red streaks across each cheek. Suri made a strangled noise.

Zuko gaped at her.

"Smellerbee?"

"It's your fault he died. It's all your fault and now I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill you and you're going to know who did it and why."

"Who's dead?"

"Jet!"

"Jet's dead?"

"Yes, he's dead!" Her hand was starting to shake against his throat. "The Dai Li, they …" Her voice cracked and she pressed her eyes closed to hold back angry tears.

He tentatively reached up and took a firm hold of both her wrists. "I didn't kill Jet."

She collapsed into sobs, burying her blood streaked raccoon face against his good shoulder. He tossed both knives towards Suri's feet with a glare - _Thanks for helping_ – and wrapped his arms around the crying girl.

Yun picked that moment to come into the back room. She raised her eyebrows at Zuko, still lying on the floor of the stock room with a tiny, crying, funny dressed girl on top of him. He raised his eyebrows right back at her.

Normal day at work it seems. "Suri, can you get a pot of red tea going?"

"Umm, yeah."

"Lee, you need a hand?"

He nodded, patting the sobbing girl awkwardly on the back again.

* * *

Longshot was amazingly easy to understand. He was surprised to see Zuko in his dingy one room apartment, but not overly so. He was irritated with Smellerbee and her rash actions.

She refused to meet his eyes even as he held her chin and scrubbed a damp cloth against her cheek to get the dried blood off. Longshot highly disapproved of over dramatics.

"I'm going to change clothes," she huffed and stomped down the hallway to the communal bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Longshot gave Zuko a long look, simultaneously apologizing for Smellerbee and asking what the hell he was doing in his home.

"She said you have his body and you don't know what to do with it. I came to help."

Longshot gave a small gesture of his head to point out a large chest across the room. Zuko tried to bite down the bile that rose in his chest knowing there was a dead body sitting in a box in these people's living room. And he was partially responsible for it being there.

Longshot put a hand on his shoulder. It really wasn't his fault. Jet just got out of control. They were going to start a new life together, but now it would just be him and Smellerbee and their new life had begun in tragedy.

There was really nothing Zuko could say.

* * *

The two boys carried the trunk out past the inner wall into the agricultural district. They stopped on the way and bought a shovel and some flowers. Smellerbee complained about the flowers. Jet wouldn't have liked them. Of course, she hadn't been helpful enough to pick out anything that would have pleased him.

She looked somehow softer as she walked along the road through the fields, holding the daisies, mourning internally.

They picked a spot on a hill under a tree and took turns digging. Dusk was coming on by the time they lowered Jet into the hole.

No one said anything.

After a minute of staring at the trunk-turned-coffin, Zuko picked up the shovel again and began to cover it with dirt.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Jin looked concerned. Her head was cocked to one side and there was a small crease between her eyebrows.

"Yeah, just a long day." He turned and started walking towards her house.

"You're covered in dirt. And… you're bleeding!"

She pulled him to a stop and inspected his shoulder where there was a growing red spot on his shirt. He cursed himself for bleeding through his bandages.

Jin attempted to undo his shirt and look at his wound in the middle of the street.

"Cut it out." He pulled away from her (which made him twinge in pain) and continued walking.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"You're all banged up."

"And?"

"And that's not good."

"Hrumf"

"You're really not going to tell me?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because I do."

"It doesn't matter."

"Was it the Dai Li or the soldiers?"

"No."

"… Was it your uncle?"

"What! No!"

"Was it Quon?"

"No."

"One of the girls from the shop?"

"No."

"… One of your girlfriends?"

"She's not my girlfriend."

"So that's a 'yes' then."

"Ugg. Drop it."

"Where did you meet her?"

"Just stop."

"Is she prettier than me?"

"No."

"I can keep asking all night. You might as well just spill it."

"We're almost to your house."

"No, we're not."

"You're annoying."

She grinned. "I prefer 'spunky'."


	6. The University

**Chapter 6: The University**

"Hey!" Mimi said as she slid into the seat across from Jin.

"Hi. How are you?"

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

Mimi's eyes lit up. "The Earth King went to the outer wall."

"What?"

"Yeah. My neighbor said she saw him on the train."

"But the Earth King never leaves the palace. And why would he take the train?"

"I know! But he did yesterday. He was just sitting there like everybody else."

"Then how do you know it was the Earth King?"

"He had guards with him. And," she leaned forward and lowered her voice, "He was with the Avatar."

Jin lifted her eyebrows and Mimi continued. "The Avatar broke into the palace and confronted the Earth King about," her voice dropped further still, "the war."

Jin gasped and leaned forward too. "Why? What happened?" she breathed.

"The Avatar told him about the war and took him to the outer wall to prove it."

"Did he believe him? Or did he get thrown in jail?"

"He believed him. He acknowledged the war. Now they're planning stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"I don't know. The kind of stuff you plan when you suddenly realize that fire benders are trying to take over the world. And you know what else?" Mimi was on the edge of her chair, leaning so far on her elbows that Jin worried she might fall. Her voice was scarcely above a whisper. "The Earth King ordered his bear to attack Long Feng and then threw his mauled remains in prison."

Jin gaped at her then looked around to see if anyone was watching them. "How do you know that?"

"A servant in the palace told one of the guards who came in the shop this morning."

"So the Earth King's running Ba Sing Se by himself?"

"Yeah."

"But … he doesn't know what he's doing, does he?"

Mimi shrugged. "It's better than Long Feng."

Jin had to give her that. "So have the Dai Li disbanded?"

"I don't know." She sat back again.

"Goodness."

"Yeah. Crazy. Hey, what's that?"

"Oh, it's a letter. I stopped by the post office on my way here."

"What's it say?"

"I don't know, I haven't-"

"What are you doing?" The girls looked up to see Zuko glaring at them.

"I'm taking my break."

"Now?"

"Obviously."

"But… you know this is when I take my break."

"Yeah, I know. When Jin shows up you drop everything and I'm supposed to schedule around that somehow."

"It's not like that."

"Whatever. Why can't we take a break at the same time?"

"Because someone needs to be working!"

"Pft."

"It's busy in here and you should start preparations for Quon's party."

"Eww."

"Quon's having a party?" Jin asked.

"Yeah. He thinks because he offered Mushi the shop that we'll cater every party he throws for free," Mimi said, looking very put upon.

"And we will. It's a good opportunity. Lots of important people come to those parties and then they come here."

"Well, none of those 'important people' have ever grabbed your ass at one of those shindigs, so shut up."

Zuko rolled his eyes.

"Jin, are you going to open that letter or what?" Mimi snapped.

"Oh, yeah."

"Yeah right. Who would want to grab your ass?"

"Hey! I'll have you know that I have a fine ass! One of the best in Ba Sing Se! People are dying to touch it!" She stood up to show him her silhouette and make a point.

"I got in."

"Sit down. You look like a skank."

"Hey! I may look this way, but at least it gets me some sort of love life!"

"Several diseases and dirty men touching your butt don't count."

"Well I never!"

"I … I got in!"

"Why don't you go make Jin's tea?"

"Why don't you jump off a cliff?"

"Lee!"

"What?" He finally directed his attention to Jin, who was staring at her scroll with wide eyes.

She looked up at him in shock. "I got in."

He dropped his arms from across his chest. "To … to the university?"

A smile grew across her face as she nodded.

"Jin!" She launched herself into his arms, laughing as he lifted her clear off the ground and swung her around, making her laugh more. Several patrons applauded.

"Can you believe it? Me! I got in!"

"You got in!"

He set her down and they grinned at each other for a moment before he suddenly cleared his throat and stepped back from her.

Mimi was jumping up and down and squealing. One of the men in the corner shouted, "Great job, Jin. Now make him bring us our tea."

"Sorry. Just a minute." He hurried toward the back of the shop, but paused as he reached the door to look over his shoulder and give Jin a secretive smile.

* * *

Katara stood in the doorway, unnoticed by anyone in the tea shop. She saw the joy on the boy's face and the happiness in the girl's eyes. It was strange. He was a monster, and yet here he was acting like a human being. Had he changed? Was he even the same person? Should she tell the Dai Li that he was in the city?

She watched as the girls discussed their celebratory outing, grabbing one of the other tea servers' arms and drawing her into the planning. "Of course I'll come. I'll do anything to get out of going to Quon's stupid party. Mushi will definitely let us out of it. I know the perfect place. You'll like it, Jin."

Katara hid herself partially behind one of the dragons at the shop's entrance as the boy came out again. He was still smiling, which was confusing. And he was polite as he set the old men's tea down next to the pai sho board. "Two jasmine, one green, and one lychee."

She turned and slowly headed towards the palace. After several blocks of walking in deep concentration she turned to the lemur on her shoulder.

"We didn't see anything. Did we, Momo?"

Maybe she was making a huge mistake, but she had always tried to see the best in everyone. Her brother always said that her optimism was a flaw, and maybe he was right. But then again, maybe he wasn't.

* * *

Zuko immediately forgot the names of Yun's friends after she went around the table and introduced them. The bar was loud and his sake wasn't very good. Due to their cramped seating arrangement he was pressed close to Jin. Their arms were so close that the small hairs on the back of his hand and the back of his neck were standing up. Neither of them had the courage to push the contact further or to pull away. They were both holding unreasonably still, and he found himself holding his drink in his left hand so he could maintain the proximity. His arm was just starting to cramp from the tension and lack of movement when the three piece band started to play.

"Alright! Let's get this party started," Mimi shouted as she reached out and grabbed a confused boy seemingly from thin air. Zuko watched as she pulled him onto the dance floor.

Jin giggled then turned to him. "Do you know how to dance?"

"Of course," he scoffed.

"Then come dance with me."

Once on the dance floor he pulled her into position, and she laughed. "What are you doing?"

"Dancing."

She shook her head, and then moved one of his hands down from between her shoulder blades to the small of her back. She stepped forward slightly and pulled their clasped hands closer to her body.

He swallowed thickly and looked around for the first time. He knew all the Fire Nation court dances, and he never considered that this would be any different. But everyone was in the position Jin had put him in and they were leaping around the dance floor, laughing and shouting.

Oh shit. What had he gotten himself into?

"Here, watch my feet. One and Two, Three and Four. One and Two, Three and Four." She bobbed from side to side and he hesitantly followed her. He was going to look like an idiot doing this. Jumping up and down? Good grief.

"There you go."

"Now what?"

"That's it."

"This is it?"

"Yeah. Well, you would circle the floor now, but this is all you're really doing."

Seriously? What a stupid dance. He led her once around the floor before calculating that it was something between a polka and a cha-cha. Maybe he could use some steps he knew from those. He spun Jin. She laughed and no one fell down. Score. He did know how to dance. Ha!

The song ended and she kept a hold on his hand as the next song started. In the Fire Nation court, you never danced two dances in a row with the same girl. Then he realized that they were playing the same sort of pseudo-polka again. Two of the same songs in a row would also never happen in the court.

The third song (with Jin still holding onto his hand so he couldn't get away) was slower. As soon as he prepared himself for a waltz, Jin readjusted his arms again and pressed against him. At first he thought she was hugging him, and then he realized that everyone was embracing like this and swaying slowly. A few couples revolved leisurely, but that was the extent of their movement.

Zuko found himself reddening as Jin's nose brushed against his neck. He hoped that she couldn't feel his hands sweating against her back. He hoped that she couldn't hear how fast his heart was going, but he was almost positive that she could. She definitely couldn't see how flushed his damned pale skin was, because she had her head pressed to his shoulder and her eyes closed. She looked nice, actually.

He snapped his eyes away from her, trying to focus on anything but the girl who was pressed way to close to him. To his horror, his eyes locked on one of the couples over Jin's shoulder, who were kissing.

Ok. This was far too intimate. He needed to draw a line.

Now.

Come on, Zuko, take a step back. That's all you need to do.

He felt her hot breath tickle his skin and her hands readjust around his neck so that her fingertips brushed his hair. He couldn't bring himself to pull away. Agni help him.

When the dance came to an end, she looked up at him with her fathomless eyes, and he realized for the first time that they were green. Anything he was about to say died in his throat and his hand spasmed against her back.

"I'm going to go get something to drink." He imagined that her voice sounded as strained as he felt, but her statement managed to break the spell over him anyway. He recoiled from her as if she had shocked him.

"Yeah. That's a good idea."

She turned and disappeared into the crowd. Rubbing his forehead, he retreated to his seat, where he intended to whack his head against the table several times, then leave. Instead he was interrupted by the only other boy who had come with Yun's group.

"Hey."

Ugg. Did this guy seriously want to talk to him? Couldn't he see that he was busy? How annoying. "Hey."

"I'm Dal, Nadi's brother."

Zuko had no idea who Nadi was. "Lee. I'm Yun's co-worker."

Dal smirked. "Ah. _Yun_."

The way the boy said her name made Zuko uncomfortable.

"The girl who's going to the University, she your girlfriend?"

"No."

"Good thing." The boy took a swig of his drink. "I've heard about girls who go to college. They get ideas."

"I think that's the point."

"No, like they think they're too good for you. You watch. I bet you that that girl won't make you dinner in a year."

"She doesn't make me dinner now." In fact, he was usually the one that cooked for her.

"You see, it's started already." He nodded knowingly. Zuko decided that he didn't like this boy at all. Thankfully, Mimi picked that moment to interrupt with a story about how some "dumb ass guy" wouldn't buy her a drink.

Jin slid into the seat next to him.

"I can get you a drink if you want one," Zuko offered.

"That's not the point!

"Then what is?"

"It's an insult. You're so stupid!"

"Sorry."

Mimi huffed and flopped down into a chair. Jin quietly slid him her mug as he looked like he needed it. He downed half of it in three gulps. She took the drink back and finished it off as Mimi continued to rant and Dal's eyebrows rose further and further up his forehead.

The table gradually filled. Someone noticed that Jin's mug was empty, and before he knew what was happening everyone had a full mug in front of them.

"To Jin!"

"Jin!

"Yay!"

Drink.

"To the University!"

"The University!"

Drink.

"To Lower Ring kids!"

"Here Here."

Drink.

"To this song!"

"This song!"

"Woo!"

Drink.

Jin was leaning against his shoulder and giggling uncontrollably. He scooted her drink away from her discreetly, so that only she would notice. This just made her laugh harder. Maybe he was a little tipsy too, as he grinned back, but he was by far the most sober person at the table.

Yun dragged Jin off to dance some more and Zuko decided that it would be a good idea to engage Dal in a drinking contest. He had spent the last three years with sailors, downing much more toxic stuff than this. He could drink the bastard under the table. He was a jerk and Zuko should leave him with alcohol poisoning. It would serve him right.

When Jin re-appeared an hour later, Dal and one of Yun's many nameless friends were passed out.

"Hey."

"Hi." His grin was coming much more easily now. "How was dancing?"

"I feel dizzy."

"You gonna be sick?"

"Nah, I'm good." She glanced at his table mates and her smile turned mischievous. "Can you stand up?"

"Yeah."

She laughed. "Want to show me?"

"Maybe later." He pulled out her chair for her to sit.

A strand of her hair had come loose from her pigtail. He found himself transfixed by it.

"Are you having a good time?" she asked.

"Yeah. Way better than I would have had at Quon's."

"I'm sad Suri couldn't come."

"She didn't want to. Clubbing's not her thing. And anyway, someone had to help with the party, and she's the responsible one."

"She loves you. You're going to marry her one day. You know that, right?"

"What?"

She broke into a fit of giggles that had her lolling against him and gasping for breath. Before long he was joining her, but he couldn't remember what it was that they were laughing at.

"This song is about a blacksmith," she said.

"What?"

"This song. It's about a blacksmith. My father's a blacksmith."

"So you like this song?"

"I hate it."

"Well, it's your party, so we should fix that."

Her face lit up. "It is my party."

He grinned. "Anything you want to do at it?"

"I want to take a nap." She rested her head against his shoulder again and closed her eyes. "Does that make me boring?"

"No way."

She giggled.

"Time to go home?" he asked.

"Ugg. Yeah. I guess so."

* * *

Jin was walking backwards. Every now and then she would stumble on the cobblestones and Zuko would have to steady her, which was difficult as his legs were made of noodles, or bendable tree branches, or springs. Something like that. He couldn't really come up with what they were most like. Definitely something.

Jin stretched out her arms a spun around. She came to rest staring up at the stars. "Aren't they lovely?" Her eyes sparked from the moonlight and the alcohol and some kind of mysterious inner magnificence.

During this moment of pointing out the mundane and declaring it beautiful, Zuko realized that Jin was absolutely perfect. She was fun and sweet and … her hair was really nice today.

He stepped forward and tucked a strand of her very nice hair behind her ear. It sprung back into her face and he tried again without much success. Damn it! Why wouldn't it stay put?

She hummed slightly, redirecting his attention back to her face.

His fingers trailed down along her cheek and her eyes slid closed. Her skin was soft, like … a flower petal, or … a rabbit-kitten. No, those weren't quite right. And when had he wrapped an arm around her waist?

His thumb trailed over her lower lip, which opened slightly. "Lee," she breathed.

Lee.

He stiffened.

That was not his name.

He felt cold and he became suddenly aware of how dizzy he was. He was a liar. He was lying to this girl. He was lying to everyone.

Oh, no. What was he doing?

He took a quick, stumbling step back and refused to look at her and see her disappointment.

Instead he focused on the stars, which only made him feel worse, but he couldn't really remember why.

"Come on," he said. "I should get you home."


	7. The Flower Shop

**Chapter 7: The Flower Shop**

Jin's acceptance into Ba Sing Se University was accompanied by several incidents.

The next time Zuko saw her, she had a bruise on her face and a split lip. He grilled her on what had happened, but she clung to her idiotic story that she "fell down some stairs." In truth, she had returned home very late after their celebration, and unfortunately her father was awake when she came inside.

_What are you doing out so late? Who was that boy walking you home? Whore. You're a disgrace. You're no daughter of mine. University? You Liar. There's no way you could have gotten in there. They're middle ring. Do you know what they'll do to you when they find out who you are? You don't want them to find out, do you? You're embarrassed of us. Trying to run away. Little bitch._

She held her head high. She was better than him. And she would be leaving soon. She would make something of herself, despite everything.

It was a familiar mantra.

She only kept Zuko from barging into her house and tearing her father apart by holding him back with all her strength and lying to him, saying that her father wasn't home. Zuko glowered at her with more rage than she had ever seen in his eyes. She held his fierce glare until he visibly softened and ran his fingers lightly over her bruised cheek.

He turned away from her and murmured, "I know what it's like." His hand unconsciously rose to his face.

* * *

Jin then made the mistake of telling her boss the good news. She was immediately fired. The claim was that if she had other priorities, then her work would suffer. She argued that she had always managed several responsibilities at once.

"Maybe that's why your work is always so shoddy." Those words had stung more than any physical attack.

She didn't know where to go, and wondered the streets in a daze for several hours.

Being fired was a betrayal. She had worked hard for years and years. Her work was immaculate. Her conduct was unparalleled. She had given up sleep and study time and un-calloused fingers. She didn't deserve this.

People she trusted were always proving their disloyalty to her, and it still hurt every time. It hurt when her father hit her, not because of the pain – she could take pain – but because it was a violation of the trust she had placed in him. She loved him and he hurt her, over and over, and she still loved him.

It hurt when she remembered her brother's broken promises. "I'll be back before the solstice. We'll set off fireworks together. I'll bring you some special ones." That was the promise that always came to mind: he said he would come back and he didn't. She couldn't bring herself to think of his promises to always protect her and to watch her grow up. He had died and left her alone with a broken father and a broken mother, and she hated him for it. And she still loved him.

It hurt when-

"I thought you worked this evening."

She blinked up at Zuko, surprised to see him and find herself at the Jasmine Dragon. How had she managed to get through the gates?

"I-I'm glad you're here though. I wasn't expecting you so I haven't made your tea yet. It'll just take a few minutes."

She gave him a weak smile. "Thanks. I would appreciate that." She dug into her sleeve to pull out her coupon and froze.

"Are you alright? You look upset."

She swallowed thickly. "I wasn't expecting to come here today. I left my coupon at home. I can't afford the tea today."

His expression was unreadable.

"Just give me a second and I'll be out of your hair."

He turned abruptly and walked away, thus breaking her heart further. She put her head down on the table and tried to collect herself.

Think positively. Laugh it off. Smile. Think of something funny.

The way Mushi styled Lee's hair for their date… where he ran away from her like he did just now. The time her friend at work sewed the sleeve of the smock she was wearing to the dress she was making for Lady Tan… That was before she was fired. The time the boy who sat next to her at school fell asleep and drooled on his map for geography, then started mumbling, "No, mother, I don't want to go to school. Teacher's an ass." He had been hit over the head with a cane… just like how Jin would be beaten this evening when she went home without a job.

Ugg. She squeezed her eyes shut and counted to calm herself.

1

2

3

4

5

6

"Jin?"

She looked up to see that Zuko had returned. He eyed her cautiously, then hesitantly held out a slip of paper.

A coupon.

She burst into sobs.

* * *

Yun and Mimi herded her into the office, brushing off Zuko with a "You made her cry, idiot" and a "She needs girl time."

Jin lay on the couch with her head in Mimi's lap. Yun murmured condolences and encouragement as Mimi ran her fingers through her hair. Jin cried until she felt sick. She cried until her eyes were puffy and Mimi's dress was be-speckled with her tears. She cried until she couldn't remember why she was crying.

When she was done, Yun pulled out an emery board and gave Jin a manicure. Mimi told her about the guy that ran the produce stand near her house and how handsome he was. Yun responded appropriately with "How handsome is he?" and "I've seen better" and "You need to meet more people." Then Yun talked about a new drink she had discovered: four kinds of alcohol with a whole bunch of cherries in it. It was tasty and gave you a real nice buzz. Plus the music was pretty good in the bar that served it. She needed to take Jin there, if not for those reasons, then to see the barmaid, who was Mimi's competition for hottest ass in Ba Sing Se. Mimi responded that she had seen that bitch and there was no comparison. "At least she doesn't have freckles," Yun sang. Mimi's hand clenched sharply in Jin's hair as she yelled about how that wasn't her fault and how there was only so much make up she could afford to cover them. Jin began to laugh, although it sounded slightly like the hiccups.

"Nephew, do you know anything about why the door to my office is locked and there are sounds of weeping coming from inside?"

"Jin lost her job. She was pretty upset." He looked at the door longingly. "They won't let me in." Zuko was worried, but it wouldn't do his fragile image any good to show it.

Mushi was not fooled. He eyed his nephew thoughtfully, stroked his beard, and soon went out. It would only be a moment. He promised. Zuko rolled his eyes. This left him and Suri to handle the busy tea shop alone. After an hour, four angry customers, one over brewed pot of white tea, and Suri spilling three cups of hot liquid on herself in her haste and anxiety, Mushi returned and - instead of lending a hand – knocked on the door to the office.

The door was opened just a crack and one of Yun's thin eyes looked out at him.

"May I come in?"

Yun thought for a moment about saying no, but remembered that although Mushi was a kind soul, he was still her boss. She slid the door open and stood aside to let him enter. Jin sat up and hastily rubbed at the dried tears on her cheeks.

"I have a good friend, Hyun Su," Mushi began without preamble. "He is an earth bending master and uses his prestigious skills to create the prefect soil for the most beautiful and exotic orchids. Do you like orchids?"

Jin nodded, not really knowing where Mushi was headed with this.

"His niece used to keep his books for him," Mushi chuckled. "He has no idea how to do them himself. She was a beautiful girl, and very clever, and she got married two months ago and stopped keeping his books. He has been in quite a state since then. I glimpsed his office the other day." He shook his head. "It was very untidy. I believe that he is in desperate need of assistance, and given your recent graduation and your kind and dedicated spirit – I really hope you don't mind, but I discussed with him the possibility of hiring you. He seemed quite delighted and would very much like to meet you."

This news was absolutely unbelievable. After a moment of staring at the old man, she sprung up and threw her arms around him.

He grinned and said, "I do hope I haven't offended you."

"Never."

"Well, I'm afraid that he has a slightly different schedule from what you're used to. His shop is only open during normal business hours and it's in the upper ring, so you will have to get documentation instead of sneaking up here."

She pulled back and gaped at him. This couldn't be true. It was too good. It was too easy. "If this is a joke, I swear –"

"I would prefer it if a lovely young lady such as yourself refrained from vulgarity."

"Oh, Mushi!" She threw her arms around him again. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"My dear, I would climb mountains for the chance to see you smile." Jin blushed and Mimi and Yun unceremoniously shoved Mushi from the room.

"We have to get her pretty again. Give us two minutes."

Jin and Yun switched dresses. Somehow, Jin's simple smock that she had worn to work that day hung with a kind of understated elegance on Yun, which Jin would never have been able to pull off. Mimi threw her hair into something high and painful that Jin couldn't see due to the room's lack of reflective surfaces. "You look great. Trust me." Yun emptied the sleeves of her dress (which was now on Jin) and revealed a large collection of beauty products. She painted Jin's face with a critical eye and declared that she looked alright.

Zuko eyed them all as his uncle escorted a transformed Jin out into the street and Yun and Mimi got back to work. Finally.

* * *

Hyun Su was a very old man, with a curve to his back, a long, white beard and mustache, and a balding head. His eyes were bright with something that Jin could only label as impish. His flower shop was like a small, contained rainforest – floor to ceiling of green flowering plants, humid air, and the smell of freshly cut grass and the air before a storm and something distinctly sweet.

It was true that he was happy to see her, and after a five minute chat, he proclaimed that she was a delight and hired her. It was also true that his office was a disaster. The desk was completely obscured by scrolls and papers and receipts and quite a bit of dirt, as was the desk chair, the bookshelf, a pai sho board, and the window sill. Leaf cuttings were scattered about the floor, mixed in with the papers.

She glanced sideways at the old man, who grinned merrily at her, unconcerned with the clutter in the office. He then went back into the main room to prune his flowers and sing a drinking song. She found herself laughing as she picked up the first pile of papers and began to organize them.

Hyun Su would often call to Jin with an air of excited delight, then point out something interesting that he had come across: the blossoming of the slipper orchid, a letter from his brother, the way he had braided his beard. He spent a great deal of time chatting with Jin as she sat on the floor and organized stack after stack of yellowing paper. They discussed books (which gave Jin tremendous pleasure), they talked about his travels and adventures in his younger years, and he taught her to play pai sho properly (although she was still not very good at it.)

"It is very important for an up-and-coming young lady to understand the subtlety of pai sho. You will find that the game can open doors for someone like yourself." It was a mysterious statement and she felt the need to put more effort into her games.

Hyun Su reminded her of a scatterbrained version of Mushi. One that rarely if ever became serious. One whose eyes held no grief or regret.

The shop did not get a great deal of business, but that suited Hyun Su just fine as orchids were so expensive that it didn't take many customers to keep the shop afloat and he would grow orchids whether he was paid or not. He much preferred raising and growing the flowers, delighting in the beauty and magic that he had created with his own hands. Selling the plants was simply a by-product and was generally delegated to Jin.

This way she met a great many rich and powerful people. Half were enchanted and attracted to her (offering multiple dating opportunities disguised as invitations to fancy parties or charity galas). The other half were intrigued by her – capable and intelligent and sociable as she was – and offered guidance and inside information and critiques.

"Have you met Chancellor Shang? He's formed a committee to investigate that very thing…"

"I was just talking about that with Professor Lin. He used to teach at the University, you know. I'll be having dinner with him again next week, if you'd care to join me…."

"Well, have you read Chan Lu's work on social order? Different perspective, very interesting…"

One young man kept coming into the shop and buying extravagant things as an excuse to flirt with her. He first came in to get a bouquet for his mother. This immediately endeared him to Jin, because - honestly - what's sweeter than that? Then he bought a bear orchid. Then he bought a vase for the bear orchid. Then he bought a scroll on how to properly care for the bear orchid. Either he was going to ask her out or he was going to run out of money. She wondered which would happen first.

He was attractive, and well spoken, and well dressed, and well mannered. He was just a little shy and there was something about him that seemed lacking, although she couldn't pin point what it was.

Mimi nodded knowingly, "Anger issues."

"What?"

"That's what you're looking for, and this guy doesn't have it."

"That's not what I'm looking for."

Mimi was about to push the subject when Zuko interrupted. "He sounds shady. Don't trust him. The bastard can't be up to anything decent or respectable."

Mimi smiled as though she had won the argument.


	8. The Occupation

**Chapter 8: The Occupation**

Jin rested her chin in her hand as she stared at the game board. She was trying to remember tips for playing a solid game: avoid premature attacks, move pieces evenly from both sides of the board, set up all your pieces instead of just two or three, think ahead, see the whole board. It wasn't working. She clicked a tile impatiently against the table top, hoping that inspiration would strike.

If she put the rose tile there, then it would be in place for two harmonies in two moves, but then he would move to there and take that piece and then her first defense would be in ruins. She would have to be sneakier about placing her rose and beef up her main defenses a bit. Yes, that's what she needed to do.

Hyun Su was smiling absently and gazing around the shop like a man who had lost his memory. It was obvious that he wasn't going to give her any advice. She placed a dragon tile and he raised his bushy white eyebrows as if amused. He leaned forward to inspect the board, humming to himself and stroking his beard.

Whatever move he was going to make (which would surely throw off her entire flimsy strategy and embarrass her) was interrupted by some sort of commotion outside.

A shiver ran down Jin's back as the noise got louder and Hyun Su carefully set down his pieces and cautiously moved to the door. Jin followed after him.

With a rhythmic beat of armor that pounded along with her heart, row upon row of Fire Nation soldiers marched past.

Hyun Su's face had not changed from his usual look of mild curiosity, but his papery skin had grown pale – the only sign that he was less than thrilled. Their armor clunked and their feet stomped together in a pulse that she could feel just behind her eyes. Their faces were covered by skull-like masks, making them even more terrifying.

Oh spirits. Oh spirits. Oh spirits.

What were they doing here? How did they get in? What did this mean? Why hadn't anyone tried to stop them? She could run out right now and take one of them by surprise before they killed her. That probably wouldn't be worth it. But then, what should she do?

Several of her questions were answered as a Fire Nation harold passed slowly, his words barely audible above the pounding march.

"People of Ba Sing Se,

The Avatar is dead.

Your walls have fallen.

Your King has fled.

The city is now under Fire Nation control.

All Hail Fire Lord Ozai.

People of Ba Sing Se,

The Avatar is dead.

Your walls have fallen…"

They stood frozen in the doorway for several minutes, until Jin was able to swallow the feeling of dread and gently pull Hyun Su back into the shop, away from the terror that passed so close to them.

The marching continued for twenty minutes. They sat in silence, neither working, neither speaking, both waiting for the army to either continue by the shop, burn the place down, or kick in the door and kill them.

Then there was a ghostly silence for an hour. None of the residents came out into the streets, instead staying hidden in their homes or whatever building they happened to be in when the soldiers had appeared. The silence was almost worse than the thunderous noise.

Jin ached to know what was going on, what had happened, what would happen. She wanted to know if her family was safe, if anyone had been killed. She wanted to run and ask if anyone had any news. She wanted to run away and never stop running, never looking back.

But she was too afraid. She clutched the seat of her chair as if to hold herself down as the muscles in her legs tensed for flight.

* * *

Eventually, a smaller group of marching soldiers and a harold returned and made an announcement that Jin and Hyun Su could hear through the closed door. They were posting instructions for how to behave in the new regime.

Jin eased open the door and hesitantly joined the throng of people who had carefully left the safety of their homes to crowd around a bulletin board. After several minutes of being squeezed between strangers and shoved back and forth, Jin made it to the front of the pack, where she was able to read the Fire Nation notice.

1. A curfew is to be maintained and enforced throughout Ba Sing Se from sun set until sun rise.

2. All persons arrested, or who are now, or hereafter imprisoned, may be held in custody without probable cause or without an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.

3. All persons arrested, or who are now, or hereafter imprisoned, will be tried by a Fire Nation Tribunal.

4. No person shall defame, insult, or threaten the Fire Lord, the princess, their fully designated representatives, or the actions, decrees, or policies of the Fire Lord, the princess, and their fully designated representatives.

5. All rallies, demonstrations and other forms of group actions involving more than ten individuals are prohibited.

6. No person shall keep, possess or carry outside of his residence any weapon unless such person is duly authorized by the Fire Lord's fully designated representative to keep, possess or carry such.

7. Fire Nation soldiers may be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner.

8. All traffic between rings is hereby suspended. Any individual wishing to travel between rings must present themselves for inspection by the Fire Lord's duly designated representatives in order to receive updated documentation.

9. All executive departments, bureaus, offices, agencies and instrumentalities of the Ba Sing Se Government, along with government owned or controlled corporations should present themselves for inspection by the Fire Lord's duly designated representatives, and all current personnel are to give the loyalty oath to His Majesty Fire Lord Ozai.

10. All Earth Kingdom and Ba Sing Se soldiers should present themselves for inspection by the Fire Lord's duly designated representatives, and all current personnel are to give the loyalty oath to his majesty Fire Lord Ozai.

11. Fire Nation Soldiers and the Dai Li are to take into custody the individuals named in the attached list and to hold them until otherwise so ordered by the Fire Lord or by his duly designated representative.

A second notice held a list of names, most of which Jin recognized as members of the military and nobility.

She swallowed down the lump in her throat and slowly made her way back out of the grumbling crowd. Maybe if she went about her day in a daze, it would all be ok.

* * *

She spent most of the morning at the upper gate, waiting in the long line of people attempting to get new transit papers. After two hours she reached the front of the cue and stood before an Earth Kingdom official. Apparently the Fire Nation felt no need to bring their own bureaucrats. The man was simultaneously annoyed with his job and terrified of the two Fire Nation soldiers that stood behind him.

"Hello. I work in the upper ring and live in the lower ring, so I need new transit papers so that I can travel back and forth."

The man held out a knobby hand, "Your documentation."

Jin handed him her identification papers, her old transit papers, and a letter from Hyun Su explaining the situation. The official gave them a fleeting glance.

Shaking his head he said, "No, no. This won't do at all. I'm going to need proof of residency and verification of your employment."

"But I have those. My old transit papers-"

"-are now outdated"

"-and my letter from my boss –"

"-is not official documentation."

"Well, what is official documentation?"

"You would need your lease or mortgage statement, or even a bill or piece of mail-"

"-mail isn't delivered to the lower ring. We have to pick it up at the post office. It wouldn't have my address on it."

The man's eyes flashed. "Then you will need to bring in your lease, won't you?" he snapped. "And bring in a pay stub or a tax form to prove your employment situation. Next!"

"Wait. Those forms are at home. In the lower ring. Where I can't go."

"It is not my problem that you do not carry proper documentation with you."

"I'm supposed to carry my pay stubs and lease with me at all times?"

He simply raised an eyebrow and shouted, "Next!"

"Why didn't someone tell me this before I stood in line for two hours?"

One of the Fire Nation soldiers stepped forward threateningly and Jin turned and left in a huff.

* * *

Saying that it was easier for Zuko to get his transit papers was a bit of a lie. The process went quite smoothly, as he had access to all the paperwork he needed and had an uncanny knack for navigating tedious bureaucracy. He was, however, exceptionally uncomfortable with so many Fire Nation soldiers around. The fear that someone might recognize him made him tense and paranoid. It seemed, however, that no one was looking at his face. He was just another Earth Kingdom citizen who blended in with the crowd.

He also didn't like using his forged passport so often. The more he used it, the more likely it was that someone would notice the lie. He was on edge all day.

The whole thing drudged up old memories of his time in Fire Nation, making part of him feel like a failure. He had been banished and lost his honor and lost his father's love. Then he had failed to conquer Ba Sing Se or catch the Avatar. Yeah, he didn't really want to right now, but still a part of him felt annoyed that he wasn't a part of this, that he was on the losing side. He had betrayed his father yet again.

Then a part of him felt angry that they would come here, where his friends were, and ruin their lives just as they had ruined his own. He felt guilty that he had no power to stop it.

After he got his transit papers, allowing him to travel to the middle and lower ring between the hours of 10 and 4 to meet with vendors and collect supplies, he got detailed instructions on how to get the necessary documents for the girls and set out across the city.

The first stop was Suri's house, which was on the North side of the lower ring, near the middle wall. Her mother was home caring for Suri's infant sister, and answered the door cautiously, obviously terrified that he was a Fire Nation soldier come to kill her or hurt her or take her away, or that he had come to bring her news that her husband or one of her children had been killed or hurt or taken away.

She calmed down considerably after Zuko's explanation, and then herded him into the kitchen, where she dug through a drawer filled with paper and bounced the colicky baby on her hip. She refused to give him anything important, and finally decided that she could part with the invoice for the daily milk delivery. "But I want it back when you're done."

Next was Yun's apartment on the West side of town. No one was home and he took the key hidden in a lamp near the door and let himself in. Her apartment was a single room that looked as though several people lived in it. He dug through her neat stack of paperwork in a trunk that also contained an old music box, a pocket watch, and various other heirlooms. Yun's was the only name on the lease, which he found odd. What about her parents?

He decided that it really wasn't any of his business and locked back up.

He then went to Mimi's apartment on the South West side very close to the inner wall. It was in a shabby section of town, where the streets were narrow and winding and dirty. It took him quite a while to find it.

Her landlord lived in the building and spent all of his time sitting on the front stoop where he could watch the tenants come and go and spy on the neighbors. He was bursting with gossip about the recent take over and was thrilled that Zuko had come to see him. He insisted on hearing about everywhere Zuko had been that day, who he had talked to and what they had said (which Zuko found mostly uninteresting) before commenting that Mimi was a "hell of a girl" and writing a surprisingly formal letter stating that Mimi's family moved into the building on such and such a date 23 years ago and Mimi had lived there since so and so a time, giving her date of birth. He then described how Mimi's family were neat and quiet and always paid rent on time, and how his building was in good standing with the Lower Ring Residential Bureau. Zuko didn't know if any of the dates were correct, but it was impressive anyway.

The man told him that the Fire Nation Princess had disguised herself as an Omashu warrior to infiltrate the city and sleep with Long Feng. She then killed the Avatar with lightning, Long Feng with a sword, and the Earth King with a fire ball. Zuko didn't know how much of this was true, but it made his blood run cold.

He guessed that Mimi had learned to be a rumor monger on that very porch.

Finally he traveled the familiar route to Jin's apartment. He was growing even more nervous than he already was, and couldn't quite figure out why. It became more acute as he thought about how Jin's father might be home, and bordered on panic when he imagined that it might be her mother that answered the door. He didn't know what this anxiety was all about. Maybe he was afraid that Azula would pop out somewhere. That had to be it.

He paused a moment before knocking. Please let them be out. Please let them be out.

There wasn't any answer and he felt a rush of excitement as he knocked again. Please let them be out. Agni, he was a wuss. Please let them be out.

"Just a moment."

His heart sank as a thin, worn looking woman answered the door. She looked terrified, just like Suri's mom, and her voice broke when she asked, "Can I help you?"

For a moment he couldn't find his voice, distracted by how much this woman looked like Jin. Her features were slightly more sunken and she had the overwhelming smell of soap that sometimes wafted off of Jin's hair.

"I … uh … I'm here about Jin." Her eyes widened with terror. "No, no. She's alright. It's just that she can't get out of the upper ring until she has proof of her address and so I came to pick that up for her."

She let out a deep breath and ran a damp hand through her hair. "Oh Spirits." She looked up at him again with fresh eyes. "You're Lee, aren't you?"

He froze. "Umm… yes?" It came out almost like a question.

She smiled at him. It was kind, but neglected by years of heartache and sacrifice. "Jin talks about you. Come in, dear. Would you like something to eat?"

He was shepherded inside, where it smelled even more strongly of soap, and mumbled a "no, thank you" as she dried her hands on a rag thrown over a chair. He stood awkwardly next to the stove, unsure if he should sit down or offer to help, as she rifled through a trunk in the corner. There was a high pile of laundry next to a tub of water, and wet clothes hung from a string looped from the stove to a nail in the far wall. He guessed that she must do laundry for a living.

"We don't have much. Here's our lease, but it's in my husband's name, not Jin's. But why would she have a lease for somewhere she doesn't live? Then I have this letter from my sister. It has Jin's name on it, but no address. Just the post office box number. I'm sure that if they looked the number up they would see that it was lower ring. And then I have her diploma. It's for a school in the lower ring, and no one would go to it unless they lived around here. Will these work?"

"Yes, I think they will." He inspected their lease closely, "It's better than Suri's papers anyway."

Jin's diploma was printed on thick paper and wrapped around a stained cherry rod with the school seal burnt into the end. He handled it carefully, reverently. "I don't think I can take this … or your lease. The letter will probably do." He thought to himself that it probably wouldn't, but he didn't want to be responsible for something so important. What if he was captured on his way back? Her diploma would be lost forever.

"Nonsense. You take them and bring Jin home. You're a good boy. I trust you."

Why? Why on earth would she trust him?

He stared at her for a moment, and she gave him that sad smile again. He was just going to have to not get caught on his way back. That was the only answer. For no apparent reason, this woman trusted him, and there was no way he was going to let her down.

She looked way too much like Jin.

"Umm… it's getting late, so she might not be back until tomorrow. You know, curfew and all."

She nodded. "Alright."

A few steps out the door she called to him. "Keep her safe."

"Yes, ma'am."

He left in a hurry. Jin's mother made him feel disingenuous and guilty.

* * *

He had to run to get to the upper ring before four. He slowed down and averted his eyes when he saw any soldiers, in order to avoid attracting attention. He decided that he needed to get a hat.

He arrived back at the tea house to find it packed. Many people were stuck in the upper ring and had little to do besides sit in the tea shop for hours. It was good for business and seemed to be keeping the girls busy instead of allowing them to sit and fret. Except Suri, who had had a panic attack and spent the afternoon curled in a ball on the couch in the office.

When Zuko returned, she latched herself to his side and demanded to know if her mother was alright. Ever since she had seen Smellerbee stab him, she had looked at him with a sense of awe, as if he was the greatest person ever and could take any punishment and protect her from anything. She had also taken to carrying around the dagger that Smellerbee had stabbed him with. Apparently she had picked it up off the ground and kept it. There was something slightly disconcerting about how she would touch it when she thought no one was watching. It was annoying, but he would put up with it today.

The flower shop had closed early. Unlike a cozy tea shop, an orchid florist was not a pleasant all day hang out. Jin was helping his uncle brew, as his uncle attempted to distract her with a story about his trip to the spirit world. Every time his uncle told the story it changed, so there was no telling what he actually did there.

As the line at the upper gate would close soon for the day, it was decided that they wouldn't try to get the girls' transit papers until the morning.

"I can run and get some blankets and you can sleep here."

"Nonsense, nephew. They've had a difficult time. They should sleep in beds. And they've been here all day. They need a change of scenery. You'll sleep at our house," Mushi announced.

"Uncle, I don't think that's-"

"I'll make roast duck!"

The girls didn't see anything wrong with the situation. Suri was now permanently attached to his elbow, and Mimi noted excitedly that a "party at Lee's house" would be just as much fun as a "stock room sleepover."

His uncle tried much too hard to keep the mood light. Zuko could see the strain in his eyes as he laughed uproariously just as well as he could see Yun gnaw on her lower lip, and Mimi push her food around her plate, and Jin stare down at her clasped hands. After dinner his uncle insisted that Zuko play the tsungi horn for them.

"No."

His uncle shook his head and told Mimi in a carrying whisper, "He's shy."

This was met by a round of "aww!" And he noted that everyone seemed more at ease while making fun of him. That wasn't fair at all.

Zuko and Jin (and of course Suri) went though Zuko's clothes to see if he had anything for the girls to sleep in. After offering Jin a pair of dress pants and a wool shirt, she pushed him out of the way and went through his clothes as he stood sheepishly across the room. "Good grief, you're clueless sometimes. What are we going to do with you?"

"You mean, 'what would you do without me.'"

"Be very, very sad."

Suri giggled.

Yun and Mimi slept in his uncle's bed, while Jin and Suri shared Zuko's. The bed was small, but Suri was clingy. His uncle lay on the couch and Zuko was left to the living room floor. Curtsey sucked on days like this.

He spent the night staring at the ceiling and brooding. His uncle had worked diligently for almost two years to conquer Ba Sing Se. He was rewarded with being branded as a failure and losing his only child. Then Azula had snuck in and brought the city down in a matter of days, with minimal bloodshed. When she returned to the Fire Nation she would be rewarded with their father's approval and love and when it was time she would be crowned Fire Lord.

She had taken his throne and killed his Avatar. He had spent three years looking for that kid, traveling around the world only to be foiled time and time again. But Azula, perfect Azula, took him down in one shot, simultaneously taking down any chance Zuko had at regaining his honor.

How was that fair? His uncle was a good man and Zuko… well, he wasn't the best but he thought he was decent and he worked hard. Why should they be banished for caring about their people, while Azula was exalted for being manipulative and enjoying the thrill of deceiving others?

His mother once told him, "A kind heart and dedication will carry you far in life." Was that lie really any better than the ones Azula told? He wondered if his uncle's advice would be just as deceptive if it was ever decoded. Maybe it wouldn't be worth listening to, but then again maybe his uncle knew more about how the world really worked from his own failures.

Jin had once told him that little sisters needed their older brothers to look out for them, to take care of them, and to act as role models. Zuko had definitely failed Azula there. If only he had been a better brother, more understanding, spent more time with her, comforted her, would she have turned out as terrible as she was now?

She was probably in the palace right now, less than a mile away. He could go to her and try to make things right. No. He would be caught by the Dai Li and sent to prison before he even got to her. And if by some chance he did see her then she would just make fun of him, and his uncle, and the tea shop, and his friends, then his clothes and his hair. "Are you seriously consorting with Earth Kingdom filth? Honestly, I thought you had more self-respect than that, Zuzu."

Rage rose within him. How dare she? How dare she insult the girls? Jin was ten times the person Azula would ever be. How dare she insult the tea shop? They worked hard and it was great and they were successful and people loved them. How dare she insult his clothes? They were _his_, and she should back off.

How was he supposed to be a good brother if just thinking about her infuriated him?

What would Jin do? She would probably take Azula's belittlement. Maybe with a blank stare or a small smile. She might even laugh and agree with a few of her quips. Then she would say, "I've missed you, 'Zula," and hug her.

Yeah right. Azula would freak out at that point and slash him to death with her freaky fingernails. Then she would throw another fireball at his face just for kicks. It was a lost cause. He was just not a great brother. He wasn't even a good brother. Jin would be disappointed.

She was even closer at that moment than his sister was, but just as unreachable. Only a paper door and propriety separated them. He listened for any sound that might mean that she couldn't sleep either. He strained for any indication that she was staring up at the ceiling, maybe thinking about him while her cheek and hair rested against his pillow, while she was wearing his cotton shirt, while the bare skin of her legs was covered by his sheet.

Damn it. He really didn't need those thoughts. Having her stay here was such a bad idea. A terrible idea. He had much more important things to mull over. Stop thinking about it because it's not going to happen. Never. Ever. He didn't want that. Really. He didn't.

Damn it.

* * *

He was half asleep when he heard soft crying. Or was he dreaming? It soon subsided into sniffles as a lullaby drifted over him. It was gentle and calming and he had heard it somewhere before.

Before he could remember where, he fell back asleep.


	9. The Resistance

**Chapter 9: The Resistance**

Someone was knocking on the door to Zuko's apartment in the most annoyingly frantic way possible. He peered out to see Jin looking beside herself.

"Are you alright? Yun said…" Her hysteria trailed off and turned into a look of disgust. "You faked a head injury to get out of going to Quon's party. Didn't you?"

"No, I didn't. My head, it really hurts." He put a hand to his forehead and groaned.

"You're pathetic."

He dropped his act. "Don't tell the girls."

"Do you know how worried Suri was?"

"Yes."

"I bet Mushi isn't sick either. Honestly, using your friends' kind natures and playing the sick-old-man card. You two are terrible."

"Quon's inviting the 'important new members of our community.' I'm not going to that." In truth, he didn't want anyone to recognize him.

"He's a little fast to suck up to the Fire Nation."

"Yeah."

"Take tomorrow morning off too."

"What?"

"Your injury will look more realistic that way. Meet me by the Wu Tan Arch. You know where that is?"

"Yeah. It's by the University. Why?"

"I have plans. You come with me tomorrow morning and I don't tell Mimi that you're a big fat liar."

"And I'm the terrible one."

She raised her eyebrows, turned on her heel, and left.

* * *

When he met Jin the next morning, she refused to answer any of his questions about what they were doing and led him to a nearby dancehall that they had visited a few times with Yun. It was closed, but Jin knocked out a peculiar beat on the door and a few moments later they were greeted by the owner, Genki. He was a broad shouldered man with a scruffy black beard and hands the size of cabbages. He would have been intimidating if not for the excitement in his eyes and the grin that was mostly obscured by his facial hair.

"Hey, Jin. We've been waiting."

"Sorry. Is everyone else here?"

"Yeah."

Zuko bit his tongue and followed them down to a basement room where several people were seated around three tables that had been pushed together. There were more than ten people in the room and they were thus breaking the law. Great. What had Jin got him into now?

She took a seat at the head of the table and the room fell silent, waiting for her to speak.

"I would like to begin by thanking you all for your bravery, and welcoming you to the Ba Sing Se resistance."

* * *

In addition to himself, the Upper Ring was represented by a smug nobleman, a frightened minor government official named Pong, and Hyun Su (who waved at him). Then Genki; Dr. Isamu, the former Dean of the University; and a businessman with a braided mustache represented the Middle Ring. A cocky weapons shop owner named Hiro, a full-bodied Madam from a brothel, and a currier with the nickname Roller were from the Lower Ring. Then there was a grumpy farmer from the agrarian district, who was stuck in the Middle Ring until his boy showed up with his papers.

Zuko had no idea what to do, so he stayed quiet while Jin went over point after insane point. Instructions on recruiting new members, ideas for subtlety undermining the Fire Nation, directions for setting up safe houses in each ring, orders to spread the word to neighbors to band together and comfort each other in this time of crisis, and insistences that they encourage anyone outside the resistance to comply with the Fire Nation as much as possible. "Don't give them a reason to become violent."

She went on to plan finding the people wanted by the Fire Nation and smuggling them out of the city. The Fire Nation had very kindly given them a list of their names, which Jin had taken from one of the bullion boards in her first act of subterfuge.

"They're hiding. How are we supposed to find them?"

The noble blinked at them as if they were stupid. "I know where they all are."

All eyes turned to him as the room fell quiet again. Hiro was the first to speak. "…How?"

"The nobles like putting hiding places in their houses. Secret rooms, hidden basements. You know. It's kind of a competition, who can have a better hiding place."

"And you know where they all are?"

"Yeah. If I don't then my wife definitely does."

"If you know this, then what makes you think the Dai Li don't?"

He shrugged, "They didn't find mine when they raided my house."

Jin declared that it was worth a look and that Lee would go with the noble and smuggle them down from safe house to safe house: Hyun Su's shop to Genki's bar to a dilapidated apartment building that the businessman owned in the Lower Ring (Roller coughed something that sounded like "slumlord.") Jin left the method of smuggling them up to Lee.

He rolled his eyes. Jin hadn't asked him if he wanted to help. She had just told him.

"But how will we get them out of the city? We can't just walk through one of the holes that the Dai Li took out of the wall. They'd see us."

Zuko couldn't keep quiet any more. "Dig under the wall. It's how the Dragon of the West got in."

"It took him almost two years!"

"But he didn't have Earth Benders." Honestly, this was the stupidest group of rebels ever.

So it was decided that Hyun Su (who agreed happily) would dig a tunnel from the farmer's barn (he agreed less happily) to a spot in the woods a mile outside the wall. When this project was completed, they would dig tunnels between the rings to permit easier elicit travel.

Dr. Isamu spent time complaining about the closing of the University, which caused Jin's jaw to tighten. Zuko again spoke up and suggested that the doctor find out what the Fire Nation would want in exchange for the University to re-open.

The man's eyes narrowed at him. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sure if the faculty took loyalty vows, and the students said the Fire Nation oath every morning, and they went through your curriculum with a fine toothed comb – adjusting your version of history and adding classes about Fire Nation culture – they would let you re-open."

Isamu looked horrified at the suggestion of lowering his integrity to keep the institution open.

Jin calmly recommended that Dr. Isamu write a letter to the Governor, as just asking what it would take wouldn't hurt anything. Later, Jin would leave a copy of this letter where Zuko would find it and he would insert all the appropriate honorifics and greetings and niceties to curry favor. He never found out what the response to the letter was, but the University did not re-open under Fire Nation rule.

Jin then arranged to get information on the Fire Benders and the Dai Li. The madam volunteered for this, saying that her girls were the best spies in the world and could uncover anything. Zuko was disgusted, but Jin was as impassive as ever.

She moved them right along to her final discussion point. "What do we know about Quin Wei, the new governor?"

Zuko groaned internally. This meeting just got worse and worse. He knew a great deal about Quin Wei. The man was status hungry to the extreme, and completely incompetent. The fact that he had been made Governor was ridiculous and told him that Long Feng was probably still pulling the strings. He was more devoted to his pack of feathered-Pekinese than he was to his wife or political responsibilities. One of the animals was almost always hidden in his sleeve.

Back in the court, he would always thrust his three daughters at Zuko in hopes that he would be taken with one of them and make her the future Fire Lady. It was done with very little tact, and the girls were several years older than him and vapid and unattractive. After his banishment they had all been married off to men who were surely heir to something or another.

Quin Wei also began Zuko's hatred of the tsungi horn when he gave him one for his eighth birthday. The instrument was bejeweled in a manner that Zuko thought (and Azula loudly commented) was tacky. It was also engraved at eye level with "To his illustrious highness, Prince Zuko, from his humble servant Lord Quin Wei." Zuko's mother had insisted that he take lessons since he had such a fine instrument. He immediately quit the lessons when his mother disappeared, much to his uncle's grief.

Zuko voiced most of this information - leaving out the parts about the tsungi horn – and then awkwardly explained that he knew it "from talk at the tea shop."

By the end of the meeting he was disgusted with his amount of involvement in the resistance and angry at Jin for bringing him along. She knew he was mad, but she was a pro at ignoring him. She knew that even if he was upset, he would help out and eventually get over it, because that was just the kind of guy he was.

He decided not to talk to Jin when she came into the tea shop, choosing instead to ignore her in a passive aggressive sort of way. She laughed at him, and he eventually broke his silence by telling her that it wasn't funny. She wasn't funny. Nothing about this was the least bit amusing. She disagreed and he stomped into the back room to brood.

* * *

Out of the dozen men wanted by the Fire Nation, two had been captured and another two had supposedly already made it to safety. The rest were surprisingly easy to find after convincing their wives that Zuko wasn't a Dai Li agent in disguise.

The wanted men did not like his method of getting them to Hyun Su's shop. Apparently over-large flower pots were too cramped and undignified to transport important men who were on the lam. He had to move them to the lower ring in a hay cart with a hidden compartment.

Finding a hay cart with a hidden compartment was a difficult task. It was almost as difficult as convincing the guards at the upper gate that a hay cart was a perfectly normal thing to see in the upper ring.

Jin met them at the final safe house wearing a huge grin on her face that irritated the hell out of Zuko. He felt that she had manipulated him and she knew it and was overly pleased with herself. In reality, Jin was glad that the resistance's first mission was successful. Zuko didn't give this fact any mind.

Instead of acknowledging her, he looked around the safe house for the first time. It was a dilapidated apartment building that was currently unoccupied except for the relocated nobles, a group of new recruits, and about a million cockroaches. The new resistance fighters were scraggly, dirty, armed, and thin. Zuko recognized two of them and groaned.

"You!" the shorter of the two yelled, stomping up to him. "Who let you in here? You're just going to get us all arrested, you ugly piece of snot." Every word in the last phrase was punctuated by a jab at his shoulder where he had recently been stabbed.

"Oww! Stop that, it still hurts! Crazy midget!"

Jin appeared at his shoulder, looking far too curious and amused for his liking. "Who's your friend?"

"We're not friends!"

Zuko sighed. "Jin, this is Smellerbee and over there's Longshot. They're freedom fighters. Smellerbee, this is Jin. She's leading this train wreck."

Jin bowed and Smellerbee glared at her. "You the one who let this loser in?"

"Yes. Are you the one who stabbed him?"

"What of it?"

"Nothing. It's just a pleasure to meet you at last." Jin smiled at him like her birthday had come early, causing him to roll his eyes and scowl.

Longshot looked apologetic, but there really wasn't anything to do about Smellerbee.

There wasn't really anything to do about Jin either, except to go along with it and glare at her as much as possible. Despite his obvious disapproval and his many attempts to be less than helpful, the resistance soon grew and flourished with Jin as their subtly competent leader and Zuko as her loyal right hand.

* * *

The resistance movement helped the freedom fighter find her true calling. Graffiti. The symbol of the resistance – a green circle with a square in the middle – had popped up everywhere. It was seen so often, in fact, that no one would believe that they were all drawn by Smellerbee (with limited help from Longshot and Zuko, who gave her a leg up to reach high places and carried her large homemade brushes.) The symbol was never clean. The brush strokes were violent and splattered, and she managed to make the simple design look threatening. It was like an angry eye was watching the Fire Nation.

A large symbol appeared on the door of city hall, above every gate in every wall, on the doors of houses that had a Fire Nation presence, and on the statue of Fire Lord Ozai that had been erected in an upper ring park (the symbol appeared along with a mustache and glasses). She created complicated, intimidating murals on the sides of the passenger trains. She dribbled paint along the streets used as fire bender patrol routes, of which Longshot had quickly developed a thorough knowledge. She even broke into one of the armories and splattered green paint on the skull-like helmets.

_We are watching you and we are everywhere._

Her dream was to get inside the palace, where she would paint the symbol across Long Feng's desk and Quin Wei's throne room. "I may even be able to find his bedroom. Can you imagine the look on Long Feng's face when he comes in and sees the circle on his bed sheets?"

"I can't imagine Long Feng sleeping," Zuko said. He and Smellerbee weren't friends. That was certain. But they held a mutual respect for each other given how he had snuck out of the city and blown up one of the Fire Nation supply ships down at the port, and how she had thought up with a way to intercept messenger hawks. "Unless he's sleeping in a hole in the ground."

"Yeah. Maybe he's a demon. He probably haunts the streets at night looking for people who are out after curfew so he can catch them and suck their blood." This conversation sparked a whole new wave of graffiti based off of a stencil of Long Feng with horns and fangs and scary eyes.

"Did you hear the rumor?" Mimi asked a few days later. "People say that Long Feng's really a monster and at night he grabs people from their houses and steals their brains through their nose. He's making a zombie army. He leaves a mark wherever he's attacked someone."

"No, no." Suri corrected. "He takes their soul through their mouth. It's like he kisses them. They can think, but they have no feelings or conscious."

Mimi shuddered.

Much to Smellerbee's delight, Quin Wei soon put a ban on green paint. Instead, the Fire Nation kindly provided a red substitute, which mildly irritated Jin as more and more red roofs and furniture appeared throughout the city.

Smellerbee dipped a finger into a fresh bucket of red paint, studying its texture and the way it dripped. A grin spread across her hawk-like features.

"It worries me when you smile like that," Zuko said.

"I was just thinking, imagine that a Fire Nation patrol is walking along in the night and they see that there's red paint dripped along their path. They may laugh to each other, proud that I had to change materials. They'll think that they've had a minor victory. They'll continue on, feeling happy, almost ignoring the trail I left for them. Then they'll see it. The splotchy red trail will lead up to the body of a Dai Li agent, resting against a fountain or a wall. Across his chest I'll have put a green circle. And they'll wonder if the path they've been following was really paint. They'll piss themselves in fright." Her smile really was scary.

"You're far too morbid. It's unhealthy."

She shrugged. "I have to keep up my reign of terror."

"You know Jin won't like that idea."

"It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission."

Zuko sighed.


	10. The Earth Benders

AN: Excerpt from Yeats' "On Being Asked for a War Poem."

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Earth Benders**

Suri was late. That was unusual for Suri, but since the rest of the staff had set a precedent for being late without it being a big deal, Zuko was prepared to ignore it. Yun was mopping the floor and complaining to Mimi about her little sister, as Zuko tried to ignore them as well.

"I mean, I've been working my ass off so she can go to school. What's she doing dropping out?"

Mimi shrugged. "School never did me any good."

"Ugg. I know it's dull and all that, but it really will help her, right?"

"If she gets a job then she could help with the rent. You won't have to work as hard. It's kinda sweet really."

"No, it's not. She's just being stupid and selfish. If she finishes school then she can get a GOOD job and MOVE OUT. If she just works in a shop at this point, then she's going to be living with me forever."

"Not forever. She'll get married eventually."

"Spirits! You're no help at all."

"I'm just saying that I dropped out and now I work here and it's all ok."

"And you still live with your parents."

"Yeah, what of it?"

"You don't know what it's like. Trying to provide for people. Trying to do what's best for them."

"Oh, cry me a river, your life is so damned hard."

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"Both of you shut up!" Zuko snapped. "Quit bickering. It's annoying." Both girls turned their glares on him and he turned back to wiping down tables a bit more quickly than he would have otherwise.

He was saved at that moment by Jin, who burst through the door with disheveled hair and a dazed look in her eyes.

"Jin? You alright? What's the matter?"

She seemed to focus on him for the first time. The fear on her face was downright scary. Her voice had a ghostly quality. "They took her. They came in the night and they took her."

"Took who?"

"My mother. The Dai Li broke into our house last night and dragged her away."

Zuko dropped his rag and approached her quickly. "Why? Do they know about you? Are you alright?"

"It's not about me. They said it was because she's an earth bender."

"But… she's untrained, right? I mean, she's not a very good earth bender and she's not really a threat. There's nothing important about her."

"All I know is what they said." Her voice cracked and she ran a hand through her frazzled hair.

"There must be another reason. It's not like they've taken every earth bender in the city." Jin stared at him, silently pleading for him to say the right thing and make the pain go away.

But he didn't know how to do that. Seeing her in so much distress was actually causing him pain and he wished desperately that he had a clue as to what to do. But what did she expect from him? He wasn't great at comforting people and she knew that. And he had been ticked at her until about thirty seconds ago.

"Lee?" Yun's voice – quiet and frightened - cut through his troubled thoughts.

"What?"

"Suri's late for work."

Time stood still for a moment as he attempted to process this. Suri was an earth bender. Suri was never late for work. Some higher power had decided that for some reason it was going to be his job to watch out for Suri.

Oh no.

He didn't snap out of it until Mimi dropped her mop to the floor with a loud clatter, covering her mouth with her hand. His uncle had appeared at the door to the back room, concern blatantly written across his features. They were all looking at Zuko, waiting for him to give them instructions.

Why did they think that he knew what to do? Jin was the boss in this kind of thing. Jin was the planner. Jin was …

Jin was shaking.

She was trying to hide it, but there was a definite tremor to her clutched hands. He took a breath and switched to his demanding prince mode that he had been neglecting recently. "Yun, go to Suri's house. Maybe she's just sick or something. Mimi, go to the market, get the gossip. Find out how widespread this is. Uncle, I think we're going to be a bit late opening today."

"Of course. Unless anyone comes by in desperate need of tea. Or company."

"Good. Let's move." As Yun and Mimi left the store, Zuko grabbed his Dao swords from behind the counter.

"You can't carry those."

He gave Jin a look that said _try and stop me_, then took her elbow and led her outside.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to see if Hyun Su is at work. We can find out if this is just a lower ring thing, and if they've taken any masters." She nodded and soon they were at the locked door of the flower shop.

That was not a good sign. "You got a key?"

She swallowed. "Yeah."

Inside, the shop was obviously deserted. It usually wouldn't have seemed sinister with the damp, warm air and the sweet smells. The plants radiated life and a closeness that was generally friendly. However, today the green light and the stillness seemed menacing. It was like something unseen was sneaking up on them.

"Maybe he's just late. He's not really a stickler for punctuality."

"Is that really what you think?"

"No." She sighed and leaned against a shelf. "This is more than just a lower ring thing."

"Yeah. But how did they pull it off? An eighth of the population are earth benders. To capture them all in one night…" He shook his head.

"It would be a massive undertaking. Spirits, it's like anything is possible these days." She closed her eyes as if she could shut out the world.

He felt lost in the silence that fell upon them. He had no idea what to say. "Are you going to be ok?" Lame. Very lame.

"Well, I have to take care of all these orchids now."

He snorted. "Way to look on the bright side."

"Pretty bleak bright side."

"It's not the worst thing ever."

She gave him a tired smile and pulled her mussed hair into a braid, attempting to smooth it out as much as possible. "This is one crazy nightmare."

"Come on," he said, and took her hand and pulled her outside again.

"Where are we going now?"

"There are families in the upper ring that are almost entirely earth benders, right?"

"Yeah."

"So we're going to go see if anyone's home."

"We already know that they aren't."

"Maybe we're wrong." Whenever Lee tried to find a silver lining, Jin knew that terrible things were happening. It was just unnatural.

Ten minutes later they stopped in front of a large villa, with a pristine yard, ornate tiling, and a front door that had been thrown off its hinges.

Jin swallowed and gripped his hand more tightly. Zuko drew his swords and crept into the house.

The front room was a disaster. Furniture had been destroyed and lay in scattered pieces around the room. The floor had been raised into spikes and boulders and walls, which had then been crumbled and smashed. The paper walls were torn and the back wall had a sizable hole. Scorch marks crisscrossed the room.

Zuko felt the same eerie sensation as he had in the flower shop: people had been here not long ago, and now they were gone.

"Hello?" he called out. "Anyone here?"

"We're friends. We can help," Jin added.

The house was deserted, and unnaturally quiet. Zuko sighed and holstered his swords. He met Jin's eyes.

"This is really happening," she whispered.

* * *

There were several people in the tea shop when they returned, all sitting around a table holding cups of tea, but not drinking. All were members of the resistance.

"Suri's not home. Her mother was in a state," Yun reported.

"Word on the street is that all the earth benders are gone. The market's practically deserted, everyone's so scared," said Mimi.

"Yeah, that's what we heard too," Genki said.

Jin at last had her calm façade completely intact and had returned to the assured leader that they all knew and loved. "Who did they take from the resistance?"

"Just Roller that we know of."

"And Hyun Su."

"What do they know that might take the resistance down?" Jin asked.

"I don't think much. Locations. A few names. I don't know if they'll be interrogating them, though. It doesn't seem like they're after that."

"Genki, change the safe houses anyway. Just to be sure."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jin stood up straighter and crossed her arms, "How did we not know this was coming?"

"That woman said her whores would spy on the Dai Li."

"Well, they did a piss poor job. Longshot, want to take over? You've given us much more than she has already."

He nodded.

"Does anyone have any idea where they're being held?"

"Lake Laogai," Smellerbee said.

"Yeah, that's where the Dai Li's headquarters are," Zuko added. "They've got plenty of cells for holding people."

"You know how to get there?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Take a team tonight and do some reconnaissance."

"I think I should just go alone. No sense risking anyone else."

Jin rolled her eyes. "Fine. Now there're a lot of scared people out there." She clapped her hands together and put on a rather foreboding smile. "Who wants to hit the streets and spread calming vibes?"

There was a general grumble as no one was ever in the mood for that, even on a good day.

* * *

"Where do you think you're going?" Zuko asked.

"Home. It's almost curfew," Jin responded.

"Oh really?"

"Yes. It's probably a half hour until sunset."

"That's not what I meant."

"Why shouldn't I go home?"

"You'll be alone with your father."

Jin stopped walking and turned to frown at him. The setting sun behind her made her hair glow like a halo and her eyes seemed several shades darker than they usually were. Her voice took on a defensive tone. "What of it?"

"He's probably in a bad mood since last night when the Dai Li came. He'll take it out on you."

Her eyebrow twitched. "Don't act like you know anything about it. It's none of your business."

"Don't go home tonight."

"Don't order me around."

"I don't want you hurt."

"I'm fine."

"You're pigheaded and it's going to get you into trouble."

Her eyes narrowed before she turned and walked away.

Damn it. He had to think of something to get her to stay. Anything. "I can give you news as soon as I get back from the lake," he called after her. "You'll be the first to know what I find."

This made her pause and spin slowly to glower at him. After a moment she agreed to spend the night at his house under the conditions that Mushi cook and Lee keep his hands to himself.

"Gross," he mumbled and turned his face away from her as it began to grow warm.

* * *

His uncle was happy to have Jin over, but he gave them a knowing look that said far too much. Zuko was starting to understand that there was no use keeping secrets from his uncle. For some reason, the man knew everything.

When it was late enough that he assumed that is uncle had gone to sleep, Zuko dawned a set of black clothes, his swords, and a dark hooded cape. He wouldn't be easily seen, especially since he was used to sneaking around. He was a pro. This would be easy.

Why was his stomach queasy? He must have eaten something bad.

He had one leg out of the living room window when a hand covered his own. He looked up to see Jin's shining eyes. "Come back safe," she whispered. His stomach twisted again, and he grimaced to form a look that he hoped inspired confidence. She didn't seem to buy it and squeezed his hand before it slipped away. He knew that she would spend the next several hours worrying about him, and hoped that she would go to sleep sooner rather than later.

As he predicted, it was easy to get to the lake. There were very few fire benders on patrol and those that he saw were easy to avoid. He hadn't seen a Dai Li agent all day. That was a little worrying. They might all be gathered at the lake.

He turned out to be right about that too. The woods surrounding Lake Laogai were filled with furtive Dai Li patrols. He studied their movements from a tree for a time, before dropping down behind a lone agent. One twist of the man's neck and he collapsed without a sound. It was an easy task of taking his robe and hat and hiding the body in the undergrowth.

Then it was the simple matter of looking like he belonged and knew what he was doing as he walked straight into the cavernous labyrinth. He kept his head bowed and his arms folded behind his back. The dim green lighting worked with his hat to hide his face in shadows. No one noticed him, but he found himself fingering the handle of his swords through his stolen robe.

He didn't like this place. It was cold. It was damp. It was dark. It was confining to the point of claustrophobia. And why didn't they use fire instead of those damned glowing crystals? He focused on making a mental map of the maze of hallways to distract himself from how uncomfortable he felt – to distract himself from the uneasy feeling he got when he thought of what the Dai Li might be doing.

* * *

During the day, Jin had been able to distract herself by planning and confronting the immediate problems that had arisen. But now she was left alone in the dark with her fears, staring at the ceiling of Lee's room. Her thoughts wondered to her mother, alone and scared. To her father, upset and ready to take that anger out on the nearest person. To herself and what would become of her without a mother, without someone to care for her and look out for her in small, loving ways. She thought of Hyun Su and what he would think if he came back to find that all his precious orchids had died under her care. They would die like the dreams of the city. She tried to distract herself by going over everything she would need to do to care for them.

Add orchid food to the water.

Water the base when dry.

Mist the foliage, but not the flowers, between waterings.

Maintain the temperature of the shop by opening the doors or starting a fire.

When would Lee get back?

Remove any yellow leaves.

Don't repot them in soil, but only in Hyun Su's special blend of bark, volcanic rock, charcoal, and peat moss.

Don't add plant food during winter. She hoped she wouldn't be caring for them that long.

What would Lee find? Was her mother dead?

Never let them sit in water.

Please Spirits, let him be ok. Please Spirits, watch over her mother. Watch over Suri. Watch over Hyun Su.

After several hours, a shadow dropped over the window and Jin sat up in alarm. "Lee?"

"Yeah." She heard him land in the room and relaxed slightly. He slipped off his cloak and swords.

"What did you find?"

He took a deep breath and flopped down onto the bed beside her. "It looks like everyone's safe. They're being held in big cells and they look really out of it."

"Out of it?"

"Like they've been drugged."

"Or brain washed?"

"Yeah." He rolled his shoulders to relieve some of the tension.

"Do you know what they're doing?"

"Not really. They took them in groups to a big empty room and had them demonstrate their bending. It looked like they were assessing everyone. They were taking notes and then sorting them into different cells." He sounded tired and helpless.

"Is that all you found?" She didn't mean to sound as disappointed as she did. She couldn't help it. Just like he couldn't help that he didn't see anything helpful.

"I saw Long Feng. He was watching the assessment. Then I heard some Dai Li talking about a procedure, but I don't know what kind." He knew that his trip had been fruitless, and he felt like he had somehow failed Jin. "I couldn't find anyone we knew. And it's very well guarded. There are so many people there, and they're like zombies. It's going to be really hard to break them out."

She nodded and slumped back down onto her back.

"It's going to be okay. We'll figure something out." Trying to sound reassuring wasn't working at all. "Get some sleep and we'll talk about it more tomorrow."

She nodded again.

He leaned towards her. "You ok?"

"Yeah. Just a lot on my mind, you know."

"Yeah." He collapsed next to her, too tired to change clothes and move to the couch. "Scoot over." She did and he made himself comfortable, ending up with her curled against his side.

"Hands to yourself," she said in a drowsy voice. Now that he was back, she found that she was much more at ease, even though he hadn't cleared anything up for her. She worried now that he would fall asleep and leave her alone in the dark again. She needed to hear his voice. She needed to know he was there.

"Lee?"

"Yeah."

"You said that you used to memorize and recite things in school."

"Mmm."

"Could you recite something for me now?"

He wearily thought on it. All he knew were Fire Nation poems. Most of them were epic poems about conquering parts of the Earth Kingdom. But then again, he was too tired to come up with something different. And anyway, she looked like she was about to fall asleep too. She might not notice.

"I think it better that in times like these

A poet's mouth be silent, for in truth

We have no gift to set a statesman right;

He has had enough of meddling who can please

A young girl in the indolence of her youth,

Or an old man upon a winter's night."


	11. The Dates

**Chapter 11: The Dates**

"You're late," Zuko reprimanded as Mimi dashed through the door into the tea shop. Without speaking, she grabbed his arm and dragged him outside and down the street.

"Hey! What are you doing? We can't leave now. It's packed in there!"

After several blocks, she stopped behind a crowd of people surrounding one of the bulletin boards that the Fire Nation had set up. As he looked down at her, he noticed for the first time that her face was pale with fright and worry.

He frowned and squeezed her arm reassuringly, before turning to push his way through the crowd. After a moment he could peer over a short woman's head to read the notice.

"You no longer have anything to fear.

The resistance movement that has plagued out city has ended.

The leader of the resistance has been executed.

We are rounding up the other criminals.

There is no need to worry about this threat any longer."

Zuko read through it twice, his blood steadily running colder. He unceremoniously shoved his way back through the mob, then broke out into a run towards the flower shop.

It wasn't true. She couldn't be dead. It wasn't true. It wasn't true. Oh Agni. It wasn't true. She couldn't be dead.

He threw open the door to her shop to see her beautiful smile. She squeaked as he grabbed her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

* * *

Jin was not having a good day. She had seen the notice on her way to work that morning, and it had worried her. But what worried her more was the fact that every important person in the resistance had immediately stormed into her shop and screamed, "You're alive!"

Honestly, how foolish could they be? First of all, yeah, it would be sad if she died, but it certainly wouldn't end the resistance movement. Secondly, it was pretty obvious that the Dai Li had no clue who the real leader was. She was concerned that they had killed someone else by mistake. Maybe even one of her friends. She wondered if that was true, and if it was then what information did they get out of them before they were killed?

Finally there was the fact that if the Dai Li knew (or suspected) who any of the important members of the resistance were, then all they needed to do at this point is follow them as they rushed through the city, leading the Dai Li straight to her.

Jin had her reproval speech perfected by now. "You really shouldn't have done that, it was really foolish. You shouldn't have come here and you should have been much more discrete. Were you followed? Did anyone see you? Do you know if anyone has gone missing yet?"

She was so irritated, that the flood of relief that covered Lee's face just made her more annoyed. He hugged her so tight that he would surely leave bruises, gasping "Shit, Jin. Shit."

Then he kissed her.

Her anger flared explosively. What was he thinking!?

She kicked him sharply in the shin and bit his lip which was _in her mouth_. He jerked away, releasing her arms enough for her to shove him.

"Wh-what the hell was that for?" He stared at her in shock, testing his lip with his fingertips.

She barely controlled her snarl. "Can't you see I'm talking to a customer?"

He honestly hadn't noticed he had been so focused on Jin. But sure enough, a startled looking young man stood on the other side of the counter. He shrunk back under Zuko's angry glare.

Jin attempted to force out a polite tone. "I'm sorry. Here's your change." The man took the coins, gave a small, frantic bow and hurried from the shop.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Jin spun on Zuko. "What were you thinking?"

"I thought you were dead! They have a notice posted!"

"I am well aware of the notice. It's clear that they have no idea who the resistance leader is, you idiot."

"Then why would they put up that sign?"

"To lower moral. To send us into a state of confusion. Maybe to send an agent to follow you, and you just led them straight here."

"I did not!"

"Really? Would you even know if you were followed? You were oh so observant just a second ago."

"I thought you were dead!"

"And I'm not!"

At that moment the shop door banged open. Mimi let out a shriek, then flew forward and pulled Jin across the counter into another hug. "Spirits, Jin!"

Jin patted her friend stiffly on the back. "I'm fine."

"We were so worried."

"Yes. I know."

"You didn't bite her!" Zuko accused.

Mimi furrowed her eyebrows and mouthed "bite?" but Jin had already thrown her full attention into her rage at Zuko.

"She didn't interrupt me while I was working."

"You interrupt me while I'm working all the time."

"I do not. I come in to get tea. You're the one who drops whatever you're doing when I come in, because you've got some stupid crush on me."

"What?!"

Jin could keep a lot pent up inside. She could laugh off most things and chalk up the rest to learning experiences. She was used to living her life in a friendly state of denial. But she was having a hard time lately - what with the University closing, her mother being taken in the dead of night, her father becoming even more violent, her boss disappearing and leaving her to care for a bunch of orchids and a small business, and the resistance's complete lack of tact and efficiency. She had had quite enough of everything. She wasn't going to put up with it anymore, and she was going to start by putting an end to Lee's shit.

"Come off it. It's so obvious."

"What's obvious?"

"You like me but you're too much of a coward to do anything about it."

"I… I … do not!"

"Then why'd you kiss me just now?"

"I thought you were dead!"

"Mimi didn't kiss me!"

"Damn it, Jin!"

"I'm sick of it. One minute you kiss me and the next you run away. I'm not going to wait around and pine after you, because – as you so tactfully put it - I'm not your girlfriend. Stop stringing me along!"

"You said you weren't interested and we should be friends."

"I said _you_ weren't interested - which we both know was a lie - to make you feel more comfortable. You like me. I like you. What is the problem?"

"It's complicated!"

"Oh, right. I forgot. Tell me, what's so complicated? Is it brewing tea? Is that _so hard_? Is it that a rich benefactor gave you a house and a job in the upper ring and you uncle loves you and cares for you? _Real tragic_." He glared at her and she met it with just as much passion, possibly more.

"Or maybe it's that you're a fire bender and you want to keep it a big fat secret." Mimi gasped. "Because let me tell you, I don't give a flying-rat's ass. Whatever terrible past you have, it doesn't excuse the way you've been acting."

Zuko's face had turned stony and the silence that crashed down on them was so rife with tension that had she not been absolutely furious, she might have been afraid. When he finally spoke his voice came out so bereft of emotion that it was slightly frightening as well. "How long have you known?"

"Since the beginning."

"How?"

"I'm not an idiot." They glared at each other.

"What is it you want from me?"

"I want you to make a choice. Be here in Ba Sing Se where people care about you, or back in the Fire Nation. Pick one. You can't have it both ways."

"I can't go back."

"The choice is simple then, isn't it?"

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. Mimi had both hands clasped over her mouth. Her wide eyes darted back and forth between Jin and Zuko.

"I don't even really want you to choose. It looks to me like you made your choice a long time ago. You're in the resistance, for crying out loud. What I really want is for you to accept it. Admit it. Embrace it."

"It's not that easy."

"Yes. It is."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, and then stared into her eyes. They were so clear. It was as if she knew exactly what she wanted, exactly what she was doing, exactly how she felt. He wanted that.

He wanted her.

He growled. "Go out with me after work tonight."

She nodded curtly, still frowning.

"If I kiss you now are you going to kick me or slap me or something?"

She just glared at him, biting back some scathing comment about how she wasn't going to make any promises and how he didn't say anything about punching. He returned the glare and took two steps forward to take hold of her face with both hands.

It was not the same innocent kiss they had shared by the fountain a lifetime ago, nor was it the instinctive kiss of a few minutes previously. It was full of all the passion and affection and adoration that they felt for each other and had kept bottled up inside. It was full of anger and truth, forgiveness and longing. Clutching the front of his shirt, she pulled him closer, deeper, further down this path. He could feel himself slipping, falling.

They released each other enough to attempt to control their breathing. He rested his forehead against hers and admired her flushed lips and closed eyes.

"Is there anything you need me to do now?" His voice was soft and significantly calmer, even if it was slightly breathless.

"Go to headquarters and tell everyone to calm down. Find out if anyone died. Send Smellerbee out tonight to do some graffiti and get the word out that we're still kicking. Tell her that I'm pissed and if she puts a single toe out of line I will hunt her down."

He kissed her forehead and left without another word.

* * *

Mimi was oddly quiet that afternoon. She had the decency not to say anything, although she did refuse to brew any more tea, saying "Lee can do it" with an evil smirk.

He called it blackmail.

She called it economical. Why should she exert any effort when he could do it way quicker?

"If you really don't want to brew the tea, it's ok. It's just that I might let a certain piece of information slip."

"You wouldn't."

"Oh I would." Her eyes glittered. "I want to see Mushi's face when he finds out about your date." She then made kissing noises at him until he grabbed her teapot and produced a blaze of flame that scotched the decorated ceramic. In his anger, the fire was much too hot for proper tea brewing, but Mimi seemed satisfied. She shut up, smiled, and took her pot back into the main room.

* * *

For their first date, he took Jin to get noodles at a Middle Ring restaurant that one of the old men from the tea shop recommended. It turned out to not be very good: tasteless and expensive. Zuko was embarrassed, but Jin laughed and scarfed it down anyway. After that, he brought her to one of the three story tenements near her apartment. He helped her climb to the roof and from there they sat and watched the sun set. She really needed this. Even though Zuko was nervous and overly careful not to induce her wrath again, being around him made her feel calm. It made her feel safe. She hadn't really felt that way in a while. She leaned her head against his shoulder and they talked of how typical an evening they had had, and how much they had thoroughly enjoyed it. They snuck home after curfew and he kissed her fleetingly before vanishing into the night.

For their second date, they sat in the park, where they usually spared. They lay on the grass near a small man-made creek and found shapes in the clouds.

"That one's a rabbit-frog."

"There's a cup of tea."

"How is that tea?"

"Look at it. See, there's the cup and that's the steam."

"You're crazy. What's that one?"

"More tea."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. It's spilled."

"I think it looks like a flower."

"Well, you have flowers on the brain."

"Whatever, Tea Brain."

Their frivolous discussions took her mind away from her problems. She wondered if she was using him as a means of escapism. No, "using" was too harsh a word.

They went out drinking and dancing with Yun and her friends for their third date. Yun looked disgusted at the sight of them, or perhaps she just smelled something foul. Jin let him get to second base as he walked her home. They hid in the shadow of one of the arches supporting the abandoned train tracks as she left a pink mark on the side of his neck and he held her so her knees wouldn't give out.

Their fourth date was to a rebellion meeting. They had successfully intercepted a Fire Nation supply ship, which was full of weapons. So now the resistance was well armed. They had also made contact with the Water Tribe fleet and were able to send them notices of Fire Navy movements and battle plans, which they got from their interception of messenger hawks, their sources in the government, and Longshot's fantastic spy network. Jin didn't think this counted as a date because it was work, they didn't really go anywhere, and they couldn't laugh and talk about whatever they wanted. Zuko thought it counted because they made out afterwards.

Their fifth date (by Zuko's count) was to a book store. She spent far too long looking through everything, while he complained about how much he hated shopping and how slow she was being. Just to spite him, she took her time looking at books she wasn't even interested in. She thought it was pretty obvious that his heart wasn't really into being grumpy. He kept watching her with a little grin that never really went away. She made him carry her purchases and then buy her some deep fried banana slices from a street vendor.

Before Ba Sing Se was conquered, Mushi would stay out late playing pai sho. Since the regime change, he and his friends had taken to spending the night at wherever it was they held their games so that they wouldn't break curfew. Zuko imagined that they all fell asleep around the table no later than midnight.

Old people.

Their sixth date was on such a night when his uncle was gone. He reclined on the sofa in their living room and ran his hand through her hair while she lay against his chest. In the silent house, they finally brought up the subject of fire bending.

"How did you know?"

She shrugged. "You look Fire Nation – all pale and everything. And you fire bent at the firelight fountain if you don't remember."

"You knew that?"

"Yes. What? Did you think I thought you had a batch of magic fairies that lit those lamps? Plus you didn't respond to your name for a really long time. And you know an awful lot about Fire Nation procedure, and shockingly little about Earth Kingdom customs. And that traveling circus story - give me a break."

"And you didn't say anything?"

"No. I figured that there are probably people in the Fire Nation who are trying to get away from the tyranny. And it's not like everyone in the Fire Nation can be bad. You're a nice guy and you're cute."

"Shit, Jin."

"What?"

"Just… nothing." He stroked her hair some more and stared up at the ceiling. "I … I can explain."

She smirked at him. "Oh? I was under the impression that you couldn't."

"Ugg. You wouldn't listen anyway."

"That was a fantastic explanation."

He growled. She was going to drive him up a wall someday. "Look, I didn't tell you at first because I didn't want my uncle and me to be thrown in prison or killed or sent back to the Fire Nation … and then imprisoned and killed… Then I didn't tell you because I was afraid that you would hate me. You wouldn't talk to me again. You wouldn't want to see me anymore." He hazarded a glance down at her, but her face was unreadable so he cleared his throat and continued. "And then I stopped being afraid of that and I was afraid that I couldn't tell you anymore because too much time had passed. I was scared to tell you that I'd deceived you. I've lied to you every day. I was afraid to hurt you."

"You mean you were afraid I'd be mad."

"Yeah, that too."

She pressed her cheek deeper into his chest.

"What's your real name?"

"Does it matter? You told me to pick my past or my present, and I picked to be here, and here I'm Lee."

"So you're going to keep more secrets from me."

He sighed. "They're not important. That's not who I am anymore."

She nodded slightly. She didn't like the resigned tone he used as if he regretted his decision. But she guessed that that was to be expected considering it was kind of a big deal for him. She also wasn't sure that she liked being left out like this. But she knew that getting him to open up was a slow, torturous process. When it became important, he would tell her. It wasn't ideal, but for the time being it would have to do.

"Will you fire bend for me?"

"What?"

"I've never seen it before."

"You've seen it loads of times."

"But not from you."

He sat and thought for a moment about what he could show her and then smiled.

"I actually… figured out a trick for you."

"For me?"

"Yeah… even though I never thought you'd see it."

Her face lit up.

He stood and made sure that all the windows were covered and there was enough room around him, then raised his hands and took several breaths. Three balls of flame appeared in his hands and he began to juggle them. Jin laughed. The fire moved slower than a juggle ball would, as though they were controlled completely by his will rather than gravity. He soon created two more balls and began to juggle all five in precise patterns. The fire sped up as he threw one over his shoulder only to catch it perfectly in his other hand a moment later. He seamlessly moved four balls to one hand and moved the fifth in a ring around his body, then a spiral around his leg. Jin sat hypnotized. When the fire ball reached his foot he kicked it and caught it in his free hand. Every ball fell still, and then was extinguished with a flip of his hands.

She burst into applause as he bowed theatrically. He wasn't expecting her to jump him, but a moment later he found himself pressed against the wall with Jin kissing him passionately.

Jin was no delicate flower. She was no chaste virgin. Although Zuko had experience in these matters, his touch was hesitant, as if he would break her or offended her. But her confidence was infectious and - with the encouragement of her hands against his bare chest – he became more assertive.

She murmured against his ear, her breath warm and fast.

"Lee."

It was the single most amazing sound he had ever heard.

* * *

She snuggled drowsily against his side, her hair in complete disarray, and a fine layer of sweat covering her skin. He lazily traced the curve of her neck. "Agni," he breathed.

She laughed softly, just a shaking of her shoulder. "Agni."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing," she murmured.

* * *

Lee was smirking at her as she bustled around the kitchen.

"What?"

"You've never cooked for me before. It's kind of nice."

"Wait to say that until you've tried it. I'm not a very good cook."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"Hmm." She turned back to the stove top, where she poked at a sizzling pajyong.

Lee looked up as his uncle entered the house. The man was unsurprised to see Jin there.

"Good morning, Mushi."

"Hello, Jin dear."

"How much did you win last night?"

"The money is not what's important. It's the learning experience that truly matters."

"Lost a lot then."

"I'm afraid so."

"Sit down. Breakfast is almost ready."

Mushi eagerly took a seat next to his nephew as Jin loaded two plates with pajyong. The old man took an excited bite, gagged, and said "Oh, it's good!" in a strained voice. As soon as Jin's back was turned, he tipped most of the contents of his plate into his napkin. After a hesitant bite, Lee followed his uncle's example.

Jin turned around to find both men with suspiciously clean plates, giving her identical overly innocent grins.

Her shoulders slumped slightly. "You hate it."

"Don't be silly!"

"Look, I cleaned my plate already. Can I have seconds?"

"Oh yes. Me too."

"You two are terrible."

"You know," Mushi began, pointing his chopsticks at her to emphasize his point, "It is the moments when we fall short that our true characters are most visible. It is in those times when we are most human, and when we are reminded of our great accomplishments. We are loved for our small deficits." Her shoulders sagged further.

Lee stood up and offered her his chair. "Sit down. I'll make something."


	12. Return

**Chapter 12: Return**

"Where's your girl?" Smellerbee asked as she walked into the lower ring headquarters. "I've got a present for her."

Lee looked up from the map he was studying. "Is it something gruesome?"

"Of course."

"I don't think she needs any more dead bearded-cats."

"Haha" she deadpanned. "This is something way better."

"Platypus-bear?"

"It's not a dead animal, you sick freak."

"… It's not a dead person, is it?"

"No."

"… Just so we're clear, it's not part of a dead person either."

"Ugg. I'll find her myself."

The present turned out to be a pair of tiger hooks. More specifically, they were Jet's tiger hooks. Longshot handed them over with a solemn expression.

"We know that you've been training with duel swords, but you don't have any of your own." Smellerbee spoke as if she had practiced this speech a few times. "These were Jet's and he was the leader of the Freedom Fighters. He took care of us and we would have followed him anywhere. Now you're the leader of the Freedom Fighters and we think you should have these."

Jin didn't exactly know what to say besides an inadequate "Thank you."

* * *

When the occupation began, they could no longer train in the park. They took to moving the furniture out of the way and sparing in Lee's living room. Mushi generally sat in a chair with a good view of the lesson, out of the way, eating noodles, watching with an amused smirk, and making comments about how well Jin was doing. "You could learn from her patience, nephew."

She was a natural with the tiger hooks. She treated them as two different parts of the same whole, and an extension of her arms. She would spin and dodge with grace and slash with power and determination. She fought smart, taking advantage of weaknesses and using her environment (which was most often just the couch.)

"I love Longshot. I need to get him a present or something to thank him."

"What about Smellerbee?"

"I think she has everything she wants in life."

"By that you mean that she's hard to shop for."

"You would think so. You're a lousy shopper."

"That's fine with me."

"You're just being grumpy because I have awesome swords that can trip you. And they make my reach almost as long as yours."

He scoffed.

"She has a point" his uncle chimed in. "Her range has greatly improved recently."

"Thank you, Mushi" Jin bent forward and kissed the old man on the cheek.

Lee rolled his eyes and grumbled. She reached out a hook and grabbed his leg to trip him.

* * *

Watching Lee sleep was like knowing some great secret. When he was unconscious and relaxed and oblivious to all the pressures of the world, he still frowned. This interested Jin a great deal. Was his sleep troubled by clandestine demons? Was it that underneath his irritated exterior, there was just more brooding? Surely not. He was a good guy: caring, shy, honorable. Was he so disturbed by the troubles of the world that he could never escape them, even in sleep?

He was an enigma – even to her – which was strange as she knew him better than anyone else in the whole world (or so told herself during moments of quiet). She was smart, and yet she could never completely figure him out.

During the light of day, this obscurity made him irritating. But at night, it made him mysterious and handsome and captivating.

She wanted to reach up and touch his frowning lips. She wanted to touch his scar, which was the most obvious symbol of the mystery that was Lee. He wore it large and strong across his face, telling her, "There is so much that you don't know about me."

She wanted to touch it, because if she did then she would be that much closer to him. They would be that much more intimate. It would be as if he was letting her in.

But then again, it was a bit too intimate. It was something forbidden – something she could see and never touch. But that made it that much more desirable.

The realization came to her as a surprise: he was asleep. He would never know. And how could it be any more intimate than the act they had preformed a few hours previously?

She readjusted her weight onto one elbow and reached out a tentative hand. Her fingers trailed along his bottom lip. She had touched his lips before. She knew their movements. She knew their shape.

She dragged a finger ever so tenderly towards his cheek, outlining the edge of the scared tissue, then gently brushed her fingertips over the side of his face. The skin was soft, much softer than the rest of his face. It surprised her as she had expected it to be tough and ridged. She moved on to his ruined ear, then up to where his eyebrow should be. She realized that he was lacking eyelashes. How strange that she had never noticed before.

His eyes snapped open then, and his frown quickly morphed into a glare.

"What are you doing?" he growled.

She was startled, both at being caught and at his fierce reaction. She thought of snatching her hand back, of begging his forgiveness, of pretending that nothing had happened.

Instead she cupped his face, pressing as much of her hand against it as possible, pressing her skin to his.

His eyes widened in shock, the narrowed again into blatant hostility. He grabbed her wrist and yanked it away.

For a moment they stared at one another in a silent and bitter argument. She glared at him. She was going to win. He was going to let her in.

She leaned forward, not breaking the link between their fiery eyes until she pressed her lips to his scar. He hissed and threw her back onto the bed. One hand grabbed her shoulder. The other held her wrist above her head. He hovered over her, seething.

She should be scared. She should be terrified. Instead she felt only anger, and met his scowl with her own.

Then he was kissing her, with a livid passion that she hadn't felt from him before. She pressed her hand against his scar and he held her tighter, kissed her harder. She was kissing his damaged eye. She was licking his wounded cheek. She sucked and nibbled at his marred ear.

He moaned in a sick union of arousal and disgust.

* * *

Jin returned home after work tired, just wanting to hide in her room and read.

"Hello, dear."

She nearly jumped out of her skin. Her throat was dry and she couldn't seem to swallow. Her voice came out as a mere whisper.

"Momma?"

Her mother smiled before turning back to her stew. "How was your day?"

Jin stood frozen for several heartbeats before throwing her arms around her mother's neck.

"Momma!"

"Goodness, Jin. I was only away a few days."

"You were gone three weeks!"

Her mother looked exasperated. "You exaggerate too much. I don't know where you get that."

Jin didn't understand, and stood gaping as the woman turned to the table and began chopping onions. "You are acting so strange. Did you really miss me that much?"

"I… I didn't know if you were ok."

Her mother sighed, "I told your father that I would be gone. Honestly, you can't trust that man to take care of anything."

"No! You didn't tell him. The Dai Li took you during the night! They broke into the house!"

"What? My spirits, Jin. You must have had a bad dream."

"It wasn't a dream."

"I went away on holiday."

"Holiday?!"

"Yes. I went to the lake. It was lovely. Very relaxing."

"Wh-what were you doing there?"

"Oh, not much. I met some nice people." She looked up from her chopping and gave Jin a pleased half-smile. "We were in group one."

"What? What does that mean?"

"Nothing. It's just the group we were in." Her mother began to hum along to the beat of her chopping. Jin stared at her, biting down her panic and confusion.

"Momma?"

"Yes, dear?"

"What's that on your hand?"

Her mother stopped chopping to inspect the back of her right hand. She narrowed her eyes and rubbed the mark as if it would wipe off. "Hmmm. How odd. Can you stir that? I think it's boiling."

As Jin stirred, she wasn't seeing the stew. The mark on the back of her mother's hand was ingrained in her vision: a tattoo of the symbol of an earth bender.

Over the course of the next few days, more and more earth benders returned home. They were mostly unconcerned about their disappearance and all had similar stories about going on vacation or winning a trip. Many mentioned a lake. When confronted with the fact that their memories were patchy at best, they attributed their gaps in recollection to "well, we didn't do much" or "Heh, I must have drank more than I thought" or "oh, who remembers that kind of stuff?"

They all had new tattoos with the same symbol that Jin's mother now sported. One man said, "At least if I got a tattoo, I got a nice one."

Jin and Lee heard story after story of similar experiences, and they were beginning to grow tired of it. They kept hoping that someone would say something new – something surprising that would blow the whole case open. But it didn't seem as though there was much to blow open. The earth benders had been taken, marked, brainwashed, and released.

The one thing that every one of the abductees mentioned without fail was their group. They would announce what group they had been placed in with pride. Some mentioned competitions between groups. Some stated that their group was obviously the best, but could never give justifiable reasons as to why this was so.

Everyone that had returned so far identified themselves as group one, two, or three. Lee quickly noticed that their group number corresponded to their bending ability. Jin quickly noticed that people in group three were slightly more befuddled and confused. They sometimes had difficulty remembering how to do basic things like sewing or combing their hair or using clasps.

Something terrible was happening.

* * *

Mimi finished pouring three cups of ginseng before looking up at Lee. "Jin was looking for you while you were out getting supplies. You should go see her."

"Is it important?"

"How would I know?"

He rolled his eyes. "Can you do without me for a little bit?"

"You should just quit and let us hire someone who actually shows up to work."

"You would miss me too much if I did that."

"Hell no I wouldn't. I'd do a little dance. Like this."

"Attractive."

"Shove it." She stomped off to the next table and the men she was serving shot him amused smirks. He sighed.

His irritated state dropped immediately when he saw the serious expression on Genki's face as the man opened the door to the dance hall.

"What happened?"

Genki opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again and looked over his shoulder towards a side room. Lee just nodded and stepped around him. As he approached the door, he could hear quiet discussion from inside, and as he nudged the door open, he saw several people standing around a body laid out on a table.

Jin turned when the door creaked, abruptly cutting off her conversation. Her face was a sobering sight. She moved towards him, and the small crowd returned to looking at the prone body.

"We found Roller." Her voice was hushed as if they were at someone's deathbed. Lee looked over her shoulder and recognized Roller's messy brown hair.

"He's dead?"

"No. He… they… they took away his bending."

Lee blinked at her, and then looked back towards where Roller lay.

"How?" This was bad. This was bad bad bad bad bad.

Jin swallowed and averted her eyes. "They put something in his back. We don't know if we can remove them without killing him. We think they're connected to his spine."

"Let me see."

She gestured towards Roller and Lee stepped forward slowly. The earth bender – no, former earth bender - was lying on his stomach, and now that he was close, Lee could see that he was breathing, although the act was labored. His torso was bare, revealing strips of metal attached at three points along his spine.

"They blocked his chi" Lee murmured.

Jin nodded, and then knelt down next to Roller's face. She raised her voice, "Roller? Can you hear me?"

He gave a weak grunt in response.

"Do you remember where you were?"

"V-vacation…"

"Vacation by a lake?"

"Mmm."

She exchanged a look with Lee and the other men in the room.

"What group were you in?"

There was a beat when Lee thought that the man had fallen unconscious again. He hoped that he was unconscious again so he wouldn't have to hear an answer that would make this all real.

Roller took a ragged breath and exhaled, "Seven."

* * *

Lee had to make a detour before he headed back to the tea shop, and he soon found himself at the doorway of a tenement, face to face with a displeased, tired woman. Once he made his way inside past her rolling eyes he crept into a small, dark bedroom without windows.

He crouched down next to the bed, and whispered soothingly.

"Hey, Suri."

She shifted slightly and her eyes fluttered open.

Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. _Lee._

Something twisted in his stomach, and he forced a smile onto his face. "How you feeling?"

_Ok._

He smiled at her and rubbed her back. Under her thin night dress he could feel the metal plates against her spine. His hand paused for a moment, and then he continued to stoke her back as if nothing was wrong.

"You look sick. Kinda green."

_Fever._

"You'll get better real soon. You have to get back to work. We couldn't find anyone plucky enough to replace you."

She gave him a tired smile, then closed her eyes again.

He stroked her hair. "Get some rest. I'll see you soon."

* * *

The second round of earth benders to return home all had the procedure. They were also significantly more confused than the earth benders who were simply marked. Some couldn't remember where they lived. Some couldn't remember their own name. The resistance worked constantly to try to find the poor dazed souls, identify them, and get them home.

No part of the process was enjoyable.

Eventually Suri returned to work, where she frequently became tired and was treated delicately as if she was made of fine china. Roller got better as well, and Jin sent him and two others to the Northern Water Tribe in secret. She had high hopes that their water bending healers could do something about the situation. She set them up with fake papers and a few supplies and the name of a man on the Northern Shore who owned a boat.

There were still several earth benders who were unaccounted for. Most of them were masters. The general belief was that they had either been killed outright, or there was a third round of earth bender releases approaching and it would soon be discovered that those unlucky people had an even worse fate.


	13. The Party

**Chapter 13: the Party**

Lee didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

He stood with his arms crossed over his chest frowning at Jin while she straightened her dress. The gown had taken her a week to make, and he had to admit that it was stunning. But that was beside the point. She straightened up from the mirror that she had set on the desk, leaning against the wall at an odd angle.

Most nights she slept in a cot in the corner of the back room of the flower shop, right next to the pai sho table. The trip to the lower ring without the trains running was far too long to traverse twice a day. Plus she was trying to avoid her easily enraged father and zombie-like mother. She went home about once a week to check that they were alright, hand over the majority of her wages, and do laundry. About twice a week she would stay at Lee's apartment, either coming by for dinner and leaving after breakfast, or sneaking in the window on nights she couldn't sleep.

Lee wondered what Hyun Su would think if he knew how Jin was basically living in his shop these days. He probably wouldn't care.

"How do I look?"

"Fine."

"Just fine?"

"What do you want me to say?"

She turned back to the mirror, absently patting her hair.

"Since when is this your job?"

She smiled at him. "It's just a party."

"Oh yeah. Good times. Dancing. Getting drunk. Rubbing elbows with the Fire Nation. Great fun!"

"We both know that you can't go to Quon's party. They'll recognize you."

"I don't think you should go."

"Yeah?"

"Longshot can get the information from his sources."

"He's tried."

"Not hard enough." He grumbled. "I don't want you going in there without backup."

"No one's going to attack me at a fancy party."

"Can't we just send Mimi?"

"You're awful. And no one invited Mimi."

"Quon did."

She sighed.

"I could go and stay out of the way unless you need me."

She rolled her eyes. Jin had become very protective of Lee recently. She insisted that he stop going on missions that she deemed dangerous (so basically all of them) and restricted him to organizing things back at headquarters. He was beyond irritated with this arrangement. After a great deal of complaining, he finally uncovered that she was worried about someone finding out about his bending and taking his abilities away.

In general, Jin did not believe that the remaining earth benders could be any worse off than having their bending removed, and publicly dismissed any such notion. However, once she realized that Lee was actually pretty good (not great, but pretty good) she became afraid that he would be subjugated to whatever unseen horror was coming up next.

Crazy. Just crazy.

"You can't come. Deal with it."

He huffed.

"You should get going. He'll be here soon."

Lee's frown deepened. _Him_. He was the other reason that Lee didn't want Jin going to this party. He was just a dumb, rich guy looking for some arm candy, wanting to impress people who were even more stupid and rich than he was, and hoping to get a little action after the gathering. He had no personality at all. He had no real aspirations.

He was the kind of guy that would show up to this date with an orchid to give to Jin and think that he was being clever.

"If he pulls _anything_-"

"Yeah, yeah. He touches me and you rip his arms off. Got it."

"I don't like it."

"So you've said."

"I don't like you whoring yourself out like this. You're better than that. There's got to be a better way."

She gave him an exasperated look, then returned to the old standby of letting it pass.

"It'll be fine. Don't follow me." He snorted. "We need to know the enemy, right?"

"That doesn't mean we have to dance with them."

She walked towards him and wrapped an arm seductively around his neck. "You're a terrible dancer anyway" she purred.

"Liar."

"I learn from the best."

Her lips were a hair's breadth from his own when the shop door opened. "Hello? Jin?"

Oh Agni damn it.

Jin shoved him away and walked out into the front room. "Hisao. How wonderful to see you again."

"The pleasure is all mine." Oh, this guy was just asking for it.

"You look ravishing this evening." Ugg.

"Thank you." Did she just giggle? Lee felt sick.

"I brought you these."

"Orchids! My favorite." Lee groaned.

"Did you hear something?"

"No. Shall we go?"

"Yes. Let's."

Lee counted to twenty after he heard the door close before following them.

* * *

Hisao was nice enough. He opened doors for her, paraded her around, and was a pretty good dancer. He was also very well connected and introduced her to a great many people, who were all immediately taken with her.

She danced with several cultural ministers. She listened as a minor official told her of how terribly important his job was as the assistant manager of Middle Ring accounting. Jin smiled and nodded and laughed in all the right places and blushed at all the right times.

Quon didn't recognize her and offered her tea. "This is from one of my many business endeavors. It's jasmine, I believe." It wasn't. "Very rare." It wasn't. "Soon I will own every tea shop in the city that's worth anything, and have a monopoly on tea leaf." That was also not true. Poor Quon. She smiled and complemented the wonderful blend he had created. (Heh. Created. Yeah right.) Yun mimed gagging over his shoulder before serving a high ranking bureaucrat.

A Fire Nation Captain asked her to dance. His eyes reminded her of Lee, as did the uncommon warmth that seeped from his hand into her hip. He whispered into her ear, his voice husky and his breath warm. She shot him coy looks from beneath her eye lashes and allowed him to hold her a bit closer than was necessary.

Quin Wei was there, a feathered Pekinese in the crook of one arm. His wife stood next to him, looking exceedingly bored. One of his daughters was visiting and flirting shamelessly with one of the Fire Nation officers. Her husband was attempting to suck up to Quin Wei. The young man let out a loud, forced bark of laughter when Quin Wei pinched Jin's butt as she walked by. She would have to apologize to Mimi for ever doubting her.

Jin rejoined Hisao in the middle of a conversation. He silently handed her a drink, his attention still on the three men in front of him. She sipped her drink delicately, trying to look small and un-noticeable.

"That woman's a god send, I tell you. I cut my expenses in half in the last month."

"And they said Ba Sing Se had no resources! They've got the largest stock of cheap labor in the world."

"So cheap it's free."

"Why isn't she here now? I'd like to speak to her."

"I heard that Lady Yan Li is at the port for the next … what?... two weeks?"

"She'll be back on the 17th."

"Two weeks then."

"I guess I can wait that long. Those damned storms in the East sunk another of my ships."

"How many does that make this year? Three?"

"Four. And I'll be damned if I'm paying and loosing another crew. Better off with slaves. More economical."

Bingo. This is exactly the information that she wanted. They had suspected that a slave trade had been set up, due to the large numbers of the poor that had gone missing in the lower ring lately. But it was just an urban ledged, a story to frighten children: be careful or the Fire Nation will take you and put you to work in a coal mine. Be good or the fire nation will take you and use you as a pleasure slave.

But it was true. Jin repeated the information several times in her head. Lady Yan Li. The 17th. Lady Yan Li. The 17th.

"May I have this dance?" Jin snapped out of her musings to come face to face with Long Feng.

Look calm. Look calm. She turned to her date and blushed slightly as if asking permission to dance with someone else. Ridiculous. Hisao seemed thrilled that his date had drawn the attention of someone so important and agreed readily.

Long Feng's hand was cold in her own. Don't look nervous. Smile. Don't look nervous.

The song was half over when Long Feng spoke again. "I have wanted to meet you, Jin of the Jasmine Dragon."

Jin blinked once, then smiled. "I'm sorry, my lord. There must be some sort of mistake. My clan name is Ng."

"I know who you are."

She continued to give him a look that was simultaneously vacant and mildly curious.

"I notice that you are not on Lee's arm. I hope you haven't had a falling out."

"Lee?"

"The young man who runs Quon's tea shop. He was supposed to be here tonight."

"I'm afraid that you have been misinformed again. Mushi runs the Jasmine Dragon, my lord. And his nephew does not like parties."

"Indeed." He gave her a smile that made her skin crawl. "When you see him, will you kindly deliver a message for me?"

"I can try. My memory is not the best." She averted her eyes and managed a blush.

"I don't think it will be too difficult for you, my dear. Just tell him," he leaned in close, his cheek almost touching her own, "I'll be watching him."

She laughed. "Whatever for?"

"I don't want to worry you. Just deliver the message, and forget all about it."

"As you wish, my lord."

She bowed her head slightly, but the next thing she knew, he had lifted her face to meet his eyes. He held her chin in a tight, cold grip.

"He will never succeed in killing me" he hissed.

"No. Of course not."

Long Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, then released her and walked away. The music had stopped and her date appeared at her side to ask if Long Feng had mentioned him.

Lee would not kill Long Feng. No, that honor would be hers.

* * *

When Quon threw a party he went all out, even going as far as to arrange safe passage for his guests after curfew. Hisao walked her as far as the square with the statue of Ozai. It was slightly larger than life sized, standing in an aggressive fire bending stance, and sporting a muscled upper body that was surely an exaggeration. The statue always made her slightly uncomfortable. There was something about the face – the line of the jaw, the set of the eyes – that was eerie, almost familiar.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to walk you home?"

"I'm sure. It's not far from here. Thank you for a lovely evening."

"I had a good time. I hope I can see you again soon."

She smiled. "That would be nice."

He leaned in to kiss her and at the last second she turned her face, causing him to peck her cheek.

"Good night."

He nodded, frowning, then walked away. As she walked through the deserted streets, she smiled to herself, thinking of how irritated Lee would be that the young man hadn't insisted on walking her home.

She couldn't exactly hear the person following her, and she wasn't stupid enough to turn around to grab a glace. She wouldn't be able to see them in the dark anyway. It was like a presence she could feel on the back of her neck. It was probably just the Dai Li watching her. They would just follow her, they wouldn't attack her. She casually tucked her hands into her sleeves and took hold of the girly knife that she had stashed there.

A hand grabbed her waist as another covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming. She was pressed against a wall in a dark alley, her knife against her attacker's throat.

It took a moment for her to orient herself enough to recognize Lee in the dark. She sighed and crossed her arms across her chest. "You've been following me all evening?"

"Yes."

"I told you not to."

He shrugged. "Did you get what you wanted?"

"Yes."

His hand ghosted over her cheek. "I saw Long Feng grab you. Are you hurt?"

"No."

He exhaled slowly. "You handled yourself well." He sounded pained to admit it.

She offered a huffy response of "thank you" and they stood in silence for a moment.

"Was he a good dancer?" She could hear the humor in his voice. It was like an apology. It made her smile.

"Fantastic."

"Better than me?" he shifted his weight against her.

"What are you doing?"

He answered by kissing the spot on her neck that always made her knees weak. Damn him. That was just playing dirty.

She bit down a gasp. Managing to clear the fog in her head, she whispered, "We're in an alley after curfew."

"I know." The hand that wasn't rubbing warm circles into her hip was wondering through the yards of fabric on her skirt to find her thigh.

"Then why-"

"You're beautiful and spent the whole evening flirting with other men. I'm jealous." He kissed her again and she bit her lip to keep from moaning.

"We're going to get caught."

"Not if we're very quiet" he whispered.

"The Dai Li are watching you."

"Then they should avert their eyes."

"Idiot" she breathed, wrapping her arms around him.

* * *

There was a crowd forming around a section of broad street and Jin wondered up to see what the fuss was about. There didn't seem to be anything happening, but it looked as though something was getting ready to start. She spotted Lee and Mushi little further along in the crowd. They both looked grim.

"Hey. What's going on?"

Lee looked down at her and paused for a second before explaining. "One of the Fire Nation Captains was insulted this morning by another officer. It's a matter of honor and now they're going to work it out."

"How are they doing that?" She craned her neck to see if she could spot any action.

"Agni Kai."

"What's that?"

He nodded towards a man crouched in the middle of the road. His torso was bare save a ceremonial wrap. Further down the street she could see another man in the same pose.

He answered her confused look with more information that she didn't understand. "They're centering themselves. Meditating. That man's praying."

"How can you tell?"

"He's scared and his lips are moving." He shook his head. "He's already given up." Mushi nodded solemnly.

Jin watched as the two men rose from the ground as if by some signal that she had missed. They faced one another and fell into a bending stance. The crowd began to cheer.

"Maybe we should go inside. Jin? Nephew?" Neither of them paid any attention to Mushi's suggestion and watched in fascination as the men began to duel.

One was obviously more skilled than the other and pushed the man back repeatedly with blast after blast of fire. It was almost lovely to watch, like some sort of hypnotizing dance. She couldn't tear her eyes away, even as she began to understand the consequences of this battle. People in the crowd hooted and jeered as if watching human destruction was the best entertainment they had ever seen. It was disgusting, but then again she was watching too. She was participating in this madness, and she could not look away.

One man finally tripped and fell. He lay prone on the ground, panting. Mushi lowered his eyes and Lee's jaw tensed. The man on the ground slid his eyes closed, while the man above him wore a vicious smile.

"Look away" Mushi told her. But she couldn't. The fireball consumed the prone man's face and his scream engulfed her senses. Her shriek was drowned out by the crowd's cheers. She found herself pressed tightly against Lee's chest as the scene replayed itself again and again and she shook uncontrollably.

The crowd had begun to disperse and she still stood frozen to the spot in Lee's arms. Mushi hovered over them anxiously.

"It won't be the last time you see someone die" Lee whispered. She lifted her head uncertainly to see his face. "Why do you think you're training with those tiger hooks? What do you think needs to happen to retake this city? Someday you'll be the one to do the killing. Get used to it now."

She didn't know what part made her vomit. Maybe it was the gory scene she had just witnessed or the stench of burnt flesh that hung in the air. Maybe it was Lee's coldness and the truth that was blatant in his statement. Maybe it was the fact that the origin of his scar was no longer a mystery.


	14. The Slave Trade

**Chapter 14: the Slave trade**

Jin had been stepping Longshot through her plan, gesturing to a hand drawn map of the area. But as she saw Lee enter the room, she fell silent mid sentence and crumpled the paper unconsciously in her small fist. "What are you doing here? You're being followed by the Dai Li. Remember?"

"I lost him at the tunnel to the middle ring. He's probably still waiting outside the restaurant."

"And if someone sees you out of the upper ring, they're going to know where the tunnel is." She groaned. "You never think things through."

"I do think things through! I'll be back in a few hours. There won't be a problem."

Jin massaged her temples. He was so stubborn. It probably wouldn't be as annoying if she wasn't stubborn as well. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm leading the mission."

"Oh, no, you aren't. I've told you that several times."

"And I'm not listening to you anymore."

"That's obvious. Longshot can handle it. He knows the plan."

"Has the plan changed since you last told me?"

"…No. But that doesn't matter."

"You can't stop me."

"Watch me."

Longshot coughed and both their heads snapped towards him. They had the decency to look embarrassed. Lee muttered an apology, rubbing the back of his head. Jin crossed her arms over her chest picked a spot on the far wall to look at.

Longshot gave Lee a look that said _I don't really want to go on the mission, much less lead it so you should come along. I'm sorry for the way Jin is acting, but she has only good intensions. And I don't want to be in the middle of your bickering ever again. _When Jin finally made eye contact he gave her a look that said _sorry but you know I'm right._

She huffed. She hated it when Longshot was right. She moodily finished her explanation, wished Longshot luck, and pecked Lee's cheek with a glare that had lost some of its ferocity.

He smirked at her and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. Rolling her eyes, she pushed him out of the room. It was annoying when he got cocky. Someday it would surely get all of them killed.

* * *

Lee led four boys out into the agrarian district. They were headed to a spot just outside the eastern gate, a place within easy reach of the lower ring. But of course they couldn't just walk through the gate. They would be seen, and as Smellerbee often said "we can't make anything too easy. Then it wouldn't be any fun." Instead they took one of their tunnels from a lower ring shoe repair shop to an abandoned machine shed outside the wall.

They had to walk about two miles from the tunnel to their destination. Lee was appreciative of his companions as they were all experienced – silent and invisible. None of them complained about the distance or even made any sound at all. A few times he had led boys out to the port, and they had whined the whole time and moved slowly without any understanding of stealth.

Soon enough they ducked to lie on their bellies, hidden by the tall grass. In front of them stood a grand farmhouse, surrounded by a city of tents. It was a rather impressive sight as colored lights fluttered under the stars and illuminated the flattened corn field. Lee made a hand gesture to point out the two guards amongst the tents and the one on the porch. Longshot nodded, slowly drawing his bow. All three men fell without a sound.

They snuck between the tents, searching each one as they passed. Most were empty, still waiting for their inhabitants with vacant manacles attached to heavy wood planks and iron beams. Only two tents were occupied. One held thin, whimpering children and the other held dazed men and the scent of opium.

Lady Yan Li had only arrived the night before. She hadn't had much time yet to collect unfortunate wretches from the miserable lower ring population. It was an easy matter to release all the captives from their shackles. Lee left the task of herding them to two of the boys and gestured for Longshot and Hiro to follow him to the house.

The ensuing battle was quick. There were only four men in the house and they were unarmed as they were sat around the kitchen table playing cards. Lee and Hiro made easy work of them.

Hiro kicked open the door to the den, which had been transformed into a kind of lavish office. Lady Yan Li had heard their fight in the kitchen and she stood with a terrified look in her eyes. Her back was pressed against her desk as if she were trying to back as far away from them as possible. She was debating whether to flee or fight, that was clear, and she finally decided to make a feeble attempt to defend herself. She ran towards Hiro with a decorative knife and a shill cry, but he knocked her easily to the floor.

Lady Yan Li was not a fighter. She and her family had made their fortune during the war by taking on the more unsightly business ventures. Her grandfather organized the first prisoner of war camps. Her father expanded those camps, modernized them, and specialized them to hold benders. Late in his career he realized that his prisoners were a valuable commodity. He allowed doctors to do medical tests on them. He allowed the army to perfect new torture methods using the prisoners as guinea pigs. He put them to work in mines and set them to build Fire Nation weapons of war. He sent them to the nobles as gifts of servants and pleasure slaves. Lady Yan Li had expanded the human trafficking further.

She was a business woman. True, it was a despicable business that was not for the weak of heart or those with steadfast morality, but she never dirtied her own hands. She hired men to do it for her and she simply organized their work, managing to turn a profit.

And right now she was petrified.

Hiro sneered at her, and threw his body on top of her own, pinning her arms above her head. She shrieked and he spat at her before licking his lips in a frighteningly vulgar way.

"What are you doing?" Lee demanded.

"She's filth. No better than an animal." She struggled against him, kicking and flailing. He banged her head against the ground with a crack, and groped at her waist.

"This isn't what we came for. We need to kill her and get out of here." She whimpered.

Hiro didn't seem to be listening. "Think you can come to my city, do you? Think you can just take people from their homes? Think you own the place, you own us? Well, let me tell you, you are wrong. Dead wrong. All you Fire Nation scum are the same. You think you have some spirit given right to walk all over everyone. I'll teach you a lesson." He started to fumble with the knot on his belt.

"Stop it!" In one swift motion Lee grabbed the back of his shirt and threw him against the wall. Lee's forearm pressed against his neck, lifting him onto his tip toes and causing him to gasp. "I told you to stop." Lee's lips barely moved as he growled.

Hiro narrowed his eyes even as they bulged, and wheezed "She's not human." He swallowed and cringed as Lee lifted him further off the ground. His fingers dug into Lee's arm, trying to find some support. "Why are you defending her?"

Lee stepped back suddenly. Hiro dropped to the floor and grabbed his throat, panting. He glared up from his doubled over position. "You boss me around, choke me, and stand up for her. Nice. Real nice. You traitor. Think you're better than everyone. You're no better than she is."

One solid punch to the jaw and Hiro collapsed on the floor.

Lee was breathing heavily, glaring down at the sprawled, unconscious boy. He tried to control his anger, but his eyes were still burning when he turned to Yan Li.

She was sitting up now. Her perfect black hair was mussed and her rich dress was askew, slipping down off her shoulder. She stared up at him with wide eyes, thankful that he had saved her and fearful because now he was going to kill her. Then her eyes filled with something else.

Recognition. Her mouth opened slightly as if she was about to say something.

He cut her off by drawing his swords, allowing them to make a loud _shing_ noise. She jumped slightly, the terror returning to her face.

"I'll give you a moment to pray to your gods." She looked as though she might object, she might beg, she might try to do something, anything. Then her shoulders drooped ever so slightly and her eyes squeezed shut in acceptance. Her delicate hands were shaking.

He recited the prayer along with her silently. Agni, I do not fear death for I will find paradise in your arms.

His sword slid easily into her breast, through her ribs, and punctured her heart.

* * *

Jin met the group as they marched into the safe house. She knew something was wrong by the infuriated look on Lee's face and then from the fact that Longshot had Hiro slung over his shoulder.

"What-" She was cut off as Lee grabbed her elbow and pulled her away into a side room. He slammed the door behind them and began pacing the length of the small, dimly lit room.

There was an acute tension in her shoulders and a burning desire to know what happened, but she kept her mouth shut and waited for him to speak. After a moment, he quit his pacing and stood with his back to her.

"You are not to send Hiro on anymore missions." His voice was hollow - frightening.

"Why? What happened?"

His body tensed and he refused to face her.

"Lee, you have to tell me."

He was silent.

She took a deep breath and summoned up all her powers of command. "Now." He turned towards her slightly. "How did Hiro get hurt?"

"I hit him."

"And why did you do that?"

It took a moment for him to face her. His eyes were blazing with barely controlled fury.

"Promise me that you'll never be alone with him."

"What?"

"Promise me!" he shouted as his fear and anger broke in a fresh wave. She started and stared up at him in alarm. He seemed to tower over her. "Promise!"

He could still see Yan Li on the floor, frail and powerless. He could see Jin in her place so easily, and it made him sick.

"Alright. Yes. I promise."

They stared at each other for a moment, both quaking with different fears, even after the door to the room was opened.

"Hey," Genki asked, "What do you want us to do with him? He's still kind of unconscious, but I'd rather he didn't stay here. You know?"

Lee stomped out of the room and out into the night without another word, leaving Genki to explain. He just had to get away from there.


	15. The Final Mission

**Chapter 15: the Final Mission**

Jin had formed the most ridiculous plan ever. Maybe Lee just thought it was ridiculous because she wouldn't tell him everything – only what he needed to know.

They had hit a few snags lately. They had a plan to assassinate Admiral Liang during his visit to the city. The plans changed at the last minute when they learned that the Admiral would be staying in the palace instead of a house in the upper ring, he arrived three hours early, and he was accompanied by three times as many men as they had expected. They were forced to abort the mission.

No one was caught or hurt or anything (they were just a little put out), but Jin was concerned about it anyway. She tried to hide it, but Lee could tell that it was really bothering her. It seemed strange to her that the Fire nation's plans would change so suddenly. He told her that these things happened and not to worry. She just bit her lip in response.

Then there was the incident with the supply ship. An outlying village had been recently decimated by the Fire Nation. It was weird that they would attack the town, but they all agreed with Yun when she shrugged and said "maybe they're just doing it for sport these days." Jin gathered supplies that the village desperately needed (which they had stolen from the Fire Nation) and made plans to send them in secret to the little village by ship. It was mostly medical supplies and food.

As soon as the ship pulled out of the port it exploded - a ball of fire suspended on the water. It burned for hours, sending a pillar of smoke into the sky. Six people died.

Jin suspected that the resistance had a spy in their ranks, but that was the only thing she would tell Lee. Given that, he could see her reasoning for keeping most people in the dark. But not him. He was her right hand. He was trustworthy. He was her damned boyfriend.

But Jin was adamant when he asked about her plans, saying "oh, they're not that interesting. Can you help me move this plant? It's getting too much sun."

Her most ridiculous plan ever formed when Longshot brought back news that the fire benders were complaining about the Dai Li. The Dai Li thought they were so great. The arrogant jerks thought that it was their city, when it was obvious that it wasn't. There was a Fire Nation flag flying at the palace for crying out loud. The snobs kept going over the Fire Nation Captains' heads and reported directly to Long Feng. And who did Long Feng think he was anyway? He should know his place: an aid to Quin Wei and lucky to be spared from execution.

Jin quickly found out that the Dai Li thought the same thing. The fire benders thought they were hot shit. The stupid barbarians thought that it was their city, when it was obvious that it wasn't. They had no idea what they were doing and the city would crumble without the Dai Li. The idiots kept acting without approval from Long Feng. Who did they think they were? Long Feng had very careful plans and the fire benders and Quin Wei were screwing them up. They should know their place: tools that had yet to live out their usefulness.

Jin spent a month planting rumors and false accusations amongst both groups. She had her people in the bureaucracy loose paperwork so the Fire Nation got information late. She made sure certain messages were destroyed so the Dai Li were never informed of the Fire Nation's plans and actions. She had delivery boys bring the Dai Li's supplies to the Fire Nation soldiers so it looked as though they were confiscated. She sabotaged the Fire Nation's large weaponry and had the blame placed on Dai Li advisors who had said the machines could be powered by the fire from burning crystals.

Lee had no idea how she was able to do all this. It was like any little piece of information she laid her hands on was immediately turned into a weapon.

The tension slowly built until the groups were openly hostile. The fire benders would spit on the Dai Li's feet in the street. The Dai Li would sneer insults. The fire benders would upturn tables in bars. The Dai Li became even more secretive, even more covetous of their plans and information and their hold on the city.

With just a few more moves Jin could turn them against each other completely. The government would divide then collapse. They would become weak and the resistance would take full advantage.

The next step was to incite open violence.

"I want the Dai Li to throw a rock at the fire benders and the fire benders to shot a fireball back in retaliation. It should just take two shots for it to snowball."

"They're trying pretty hard not to take those first shots."

She smirked. "I can make it happen."

Lee raised his eyebrow.

"I can fake it. I'll use my own earth bender hiding in the shadows. We can do it at night when they won't see our man. Longshot knows all the times when the Dai Li and the fire benders' patrol routes come near each other."

"What earth bender are you going to use? They're all gone."

"Not all of them."

"No, just the good ones."

Her eyes sparkled in a very concerning way. "Have you ever heard of Fire Nation Man?"

"Is that some kind of joke?"

Her smirk grew. "Having someone work for me named Fire Nation Man wouldn't be _that_ weird, now would it?" He grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Anyway, he's not really from the Fire Nation, it's just his character. He used to be in the Earth Rumble. You've heard of that, right? He came from Gaoling and he's been teaching a few of the lower ring boys with The Mark. They're getting pretty good. It's kind of fun to watch."

"Why didn't I know about any of this?"

She shrugged. He growled.

"So how are you going to fake the fireball then?"

Her smile bordered on gleeful. "I need a fire bender."

* * *

Lee stood in the basement room of the Lower Ring safe house. He was in the center of a horseshoe on unimpressed resistance members who really wanted him to get on with this demonstration so they could go back to their business.

He suddenly felt nervous.

"Ok," he said, "these two chemicals are completely innate by themselves." He held up two plain envelopes, and dumped out the contents of one. A small pile of fine, white powder settled onto the stone floor. Smellerbee yawned.

"But when you mix them together…" he dumped the brown crystals from the second envelope on top of the pile and hurried backwards a few steps. "3… 2… 1…" He made a large arm movement and the mixture on the floor exploded. Several people jumped and he allowed himself a half smile. "Fake fire bending."

Jin was ecstatic. The rest of the group looked mildly impressed.

"What are the chemicals?" Genki asked.

Sand from the bank of that man made river in the Upper Ring. Brown sugar that he "borrowed" from the tea shop.

"A magician never reveals his secrets."

* * *

They met at the Firelight Fountain just before midnight. The square hadn't been lit since the occupation began. There was really no point as no one was supposed to be out in the dark to see it. It was really a shame that the Fire Nation could disrupt even the smallest joys.

Daiki, the overly enthusiastic new kid, did a poor job sneaking into the area. He wondered into the square, looked around, and whispered "Hello?" Lee had to tackle him and pull him into the shadows before the idiot got them killed.

Daiki was undeterred by his mistake and grinned up at him, all teeth under an explosion of spiky dark hair. He looked way too young.

"Hey Lee! Am I late?"

"Shut up!" he hissed.

There was a muffled giggle next to him and Daiki turned towards the sound and grinned.

"Hey Miss. Jin! Didn't see you there."

"I'm serious, kid. You really have to be quiet."

"Oh! Sorry!"

Lee rubbed his forehead and Jin nearly fell over with silent giggles. She had been grinning all day and it was getting annoying.

She was so self assured about this mission. She was so confident. Failure was not even a consideration in her mind. She had worked towards this for so long, and she truly believed that it would be the beginning of the end. She had every faith in Lee. She had every faith in the plan. She had every faith that the spirits would look on them and smile. The mission would succeed. Jin needed redemption after the last few fiascos they had suffered under her leadership.

"Yeah, go ahead and laugh" he whispered. "I know our safety is just hilarious."

"Oh come on. This is a great day in Earth Kingdom history. Your name's going to be in a history book."

"Ugg. I hope not."

"No, that'd be cool!" Daiki whispered. No one saw Lee roll his eyes in the dark. At least the kid was trying to be quiet now. Not succeeding, but trying.

Jin smiled. "I don't need to worry. I know you'll be safe."

"I always am." He smiled back at her. Much to his chagrin, her good humor was starting to rub off on him. He was actually feeling pretty good about this job – not that he was going to admit it. The kid couldn't screw things up too much.

"We got everything?"

Daiki nodded.

"Alright. Let's get moving." He pulled Jin in for a kiss, and then led the kid away.

* * *

Pong was waiting for Jin in the narrow entrance hall of the safe house. He looked even more anxious than usual. She hadn't thought that was possible.

He bowed quickly, then began to shift through several papers in his hands. "I came across this invoice today – I work in accounts, if you don't remember – not that you would remember. Anyway, it's an invoice. It gives authorization to transfer a great deal of money from the Dai Li intelligence division to the party named here." He showed her the paper and pointed at the name.

Jin frowned. "Are you sure about this?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Absolutely. I'm not supposed to take documents from work, but …" He trailed off. Looking concerned.

"You did well, Pong. Thank you."

He bowed again.

"Is he here?"

"Um…yes…they're upstairs, I think." The anxious look on his face told her that he knew exactly where they were.

"Thank you."

She paused before the closed door on the second floor. From within she could hear the sounds of a beating – groans of pain, the thump of fists against flesh, labored breathing. She steeled herself and entered the room.

Hiro was tied to a chair, his face bloody and swollen. Genki pulled away from him when she entered, his knuckles dripping with blood that was both Hiro's and his own. Longshot and Smellerbee stood silently in the corner. They had their arms crossed tightly across their chests and wore identical frowns.

Hiro lifted his head slowly as if he was too tired or in too much pain to move his neck. He attempted a smirk, which was more of a painful twist of his mouth and a narrowing of the eye that wasn't swelling shut. It was more the intension behind the look than the actual outcome. Jin did not allow herself to react. She stared at the piece of filth that had betrayed her with a stony countenance.

"Was wondering when you'd show up." His words slurred and delivered unevenly.

Jin was not in the mood to banter with him. She didn't want to hear whatever catty comments he had saved for her. She didn't want to waste her time with him. She didn't want to look at him for any longer than was absolutely necessary.

"Why did you sell us out to the Dai Li?"

He spit out a bark of laughter. "Because you're useless." Her eyebrow twitched and he snickered again. "You'll never defeat the Fire Nation. You'll never retake the city."

"So you switched to the winning side."

"I went to the side that was going to help Ba Sing Se."

"How is the Fire Nation helping Ba Sing Se?"

"Not the Fire Nation scum. The Dai Li." Something twinkled in his eye and his words began to grow stronger with renewed vigor. "They get things done. Not like you. You have weapons. You have information. You have people and power and you have the Fire Nation scared. And what do you do? Nothing. You've done nothing! No plans to rid our streets of those parasites – those animals. No rebellion. No open stand at all. You're just a coward."

Genki punched him, snapping his head to the side and sending blood and spit flying across the room. It took a moment for the beaten man to recover and adopt eye contact again.

"And what have the Dai Li done to earn your respect?"

He smiled, revealing that a few teeth had been knocked out. Blood oozed from the fissures around his incisors, staining them a revolting red color. "Wouldn't you like me to tell you?"

Jin rolled her eyes, and Genki landed another blow.

"If the Dai Li were really planning to over throw the Fire Nation, I assure you, we would know. It seems to me that they are sitting in a very comfortable position at the moment and would have no reason to change anything." The smallest hint of a grin crossed her face. "They used you. They lied to you and then used you and now they're throwing you away."

Smellerbee snorted. It was a sign of how deep this betrayal was that she stayed on Jin's side. Smellerbee had been the most outspoken person to suggest open rebellion.

He spit out a mouthful of blood, not quite reaching her shoes.

"Tell me everything you told them."

"Nothing you have to worry about, sweetheart."

Genki began to pound him repeatedly, grabbing the front of his shirt in one white fist. Some bone or cartilage broke with a snap and a cry and a burst of blood.

After a moment Jin asked again, her eyes and voice unfeeling. "What did you tell them?"

He fought for breath, his face bloodied and battered beyond recognition.

Jin sneered. "Giving in already? Pathetic." He was gasping. "Quit being a little bitch. What did you tell them?"

"I told… I told them about your… attack on Admiral Liang…" The blood was running down his face onto his shirt and pants. "I told them… about the intercepted messages… contact with the Water Tribe… I told them… that your flower shop was the headquarters… about that old man who makes tea… about your plans for tonight."

It was like she had been doused in cold water. It must have shown on her face because he found enough strength for that grizzly smile again.

"All those weeks of planning… So much work… And now they know… They're probably already there… waiting."

She spun to face Longshot and Smellerbee. Smellerbee's arms had slipped to her sides, her shoulders had slumped, her protuberant eyes were wide. Longshot was clenching and unclenching his fists, his dread written plainly across his face.

"Go. Now. Bring them back."

Hiro laughed again and Genki hit him so hard that a swollen patch just under his eye burst open.

"What else?"

He grinned up at her. He knew that he wasn't going to leave the room alive. He was almost dead as it was. But he could see the rage in her eyes and he reveled in it. "I took care… of you, sweetheart… I told them… Lee's running this show… we all know it... They'll get him tonight… They'll catch him... Maybe they'll torture him… before he dies screaming."

Jin drew her swords and crossed them in front of his neck.

_The coward._

He put Lee in danger. He sent Lee into a trap.

_The traitor._

He sent Lee to die.

_Miserable._

She was too angry to think of the consequences.

_Heartless._

She was too furious to realize the extent of the sin she was about to commit.

_Evil._

To realize how the blood would never wash off her hands.

"You're a monster."

"I'm a patriot."

With one swift motion, she partially severed his head from his body. She would never admit, even in the silence of the darkest night, that she found the ripping feeling and the sklurching sound satisfying. Even Genki had the decency to look disgusted.

She glared down at the body, its head lulled back at a hideous angle, its blood still draining from the gash so deep she could see the spine that her swords were unable to shatter. The body's clothes grew soaked and stained in a red so dark that she felt herself becoming lost, sinking into it.

She growled out an order.

"Get this mess cleaned up."


	16. The Imprisonment

**Chapter 16: The Imprisonment**

Lee woke when a bucket of water was thrown against his face. He took in his surroundings without getting up or moving too much. He was on the stone floor of a prison cell surrounded by four Dai Li agents. One was holding the accursed bucket. Lee decided that he would take him down first when he busted out of here.

"It is nice of you to join us, Lee." He looked up from his spot on the floor to face Long Feng himself standing just outside the bars. Lee felt a glimmer of pleasure that he was considered that important. "Did you have a restful sleep?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then maybe you will be inclined to answer a few questions for me."

"I doubt it." Lee sat up and wiped the water off his face. The back of his head hurt where they had hit him with one of those stupid rock fists.

At least he had gotten off some good hits before they took him down. At least the kid had gotten away. At least he had finished his mission, although getting caught probably nullified the whole thing. Damn it.

Long Feng gestured to someone else outside the cell, who brought forward an ornate chair. He made himself comfortable, slipping his hands into his long, ornate sleeves.

"We'll start with something easy. Today you will admit that you are part of the resistance movement. Tomorrow you will admit that you are the leader of the resistance movement. The day after you will give me the names of others within the movement. And after that you will tell me of your plans."

Lee laughed in his face. "I'm not going to do any of that."

"I think you will."

"But you're not real smart."

Long Feng sighed. "This is why I brought a chair. I knew you would take a while. You see, I already know these things – yes, I know all about you, Lee of the Jasmine Dragon. I know all about your uncle and your employees and your friends. All I want is to hear you admit it. You are in the resistance. Tell me that and I'll leave you alone. It can be painless."

"You're a fool."

Long Feng's hand reappeared and made a small gesture. Lee's hands and feet were immediately earth bent together, securing him to the floor. That's alright. He wasn't going to break out right now anyway. Best to wait it out.

Long Feng had his servant bring him a cup of tea, while the first Dai Li agent stepped forward to punch him in the face.

Right Punch. Left punch. Stomach shot. Upper cut…

After a time a second Dai Li agent took over.

Right Punch. Step on his hands. Knee in the face…

Then another Dai Li took his place.

This was all pointless. He knew how to withstand torture. He'd been taught how to disassociate himself, how to know what information he could and couldn't give up, how to stay sane. He would never be broken and Long Feng would lose.

* * *

He did not say he was part of the resistance on the first day. Long Feng did not seem troubled by this.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

"Peachy." Lee's good eye was swollen shut and he was pretty sure his jaw was misaligned. He placed the heel of his hand against the side of his face and shoved. It hurt like a bitch as it popped back into place with a CRACK, but he didn't give Long Feng the satisfaction of seeing him in pain.

Bring it on.

He was earth bent to the floor again, his arms and legs spread out, his face pressed into the cold, dirty stone.

"I really would like you to say it today. But if you don't that's alright. I have plenty of time."

Lee could barely see the man standing over him with a whip.

He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and thought of Jin.

* * *

He was chained to the wall. He had been chained to the wall since the morning before. The chains were loose enough so that he could sit on the floor, but then his hands were held up over his head and his feet were spread far apart unless he curled his legs up. He spent most of his time standing and it was wearing him down physically.

"Have anything to say today?"

He raised his head slowly to meet Long Feng's eyes. "Not really."

Long Feng sighed theatrically. "I'm starting to think that you might not be worth the effort. It's a shame. I really didn't want to hurt the old man. I'm not sure his heart will take it."

Something clenched in Lee's chest. No. It was a lie. It had to be a lie.

"And the little girl…" Long Feng shook his head, "We will have to wait for her to stop crying, but I'm sure that it will stop soon."

It was a lie. It was a lie. It was a lie.

Long Feng laughed. "It's as if she hasn't realized that you're the reason that she was taken from her mother. She thinks that you are going to come rescue her. And then," he chuckled again, "she tried to stab one of the Dai Li." He removed a small dagger from his sleeve, inspecting it so that the blade caught the light. "Can you imagine?"

His heart stopped. He knew that knife.

Suri.

Long Feng had Suri. Long Feng had his uncle. They were going to be tortured.

"I am in the resistance."

Long Feng smiled. "Very good."

* * *

He had no idea how long he had been kept here. He vaguely remembered the last time he was beaten, but not the last time he ate. He remembered pain. Exquisite pain in his hand. Pain he could still feel even as he lay in the pitch black cell, cheek against the damp stone of the floor.

He remembered blackness. Vague, blurry figures looming over him. But he dimly recognized that seeing faint images wasn't really remembering. He didn't remember the last time he slept. But maybe he was sleeping right now.

The last time he had seen someone was his last beating.

The last time someone had spoken to him was well before that. They had wanted names. He gave them the names of people who were dead.

The last time he had used his voice, he had shouted in pain.

The last time his shrieks could be deciphered as words they were the lyrics to a song.

It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se

But the girls of the city are oh so pretty.

And they kiss so sweet that you've really got to meet

The girls from Ba Sing Se.

The last hallucination he had had was of his mother. She told him that everything would be alright, and he had known then that his death was near.

The one before that – or was it two before that? – was of Azula. She wanted him to do a cartwheel, but he couldn't stand. She told him that he was weak.

It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se

But the girls of the city are oh so pretty.

The last time he heard his uncle sing was in the back of the tea shop. He only heard half the song before he left to give someone their order. Ginseng with lemon. The memory seemed overly bright compared to the dark cell.

The last time he and Mimi had fought was when he bumped into her and she spilled tea down her front. Black tea with lots of sugar.

The last thing Smellerbee had said to him was that she wouldn't spit on him if he was on fire, but she would spit on him any other time. Red tea with pomegranate juice.

The last time he kissed Jin was at the firelight fountain. Simple green tea. She had been happy. He had been happy too. He tried to remember the feeling, but it didn't come easily.

And they kiss so sweet that you've really got to meet

The girls from Ba Sing Se.

* * *

That's him? He looks terrible/Yes, he's being a bit uncooperative/Hmm. What did you do to his face?/We beat him a bit, but that scar predates his incarceration/Turn his head. I want a better look.

It's a long long way to Ba Sing Se-

Sweet Agni! Do you know who this is?

But the girls of the city are oh so pretty-

Lee of the Jasmine Dragon. He admitted to being the resistance leader.

And they kiss so sweet that you've really got to meet-

He heard laughter and it became more and more maniacal until it was the only thing besides the blackness and the pain.

* * *

There was shouting in the hallway.

"I think they're coming to kill you, Zuzu. It's about time really. I don't think you're going to hold out much longer," Azula purred. She crouched down next to him and placed her hand on his back.

The sounds of shouting were growing louder. "You know, if you tell them everything they might spare your life. They won't hurt you anymore. Wouldn't you like that?"

He heard more scuffling, like the sounds of fighting, muffled by the heavy wooden door and the fuzz in his brain.

"No one expected you to hold out this long. Everyone out there thinks that you've already broken. They've given up on you and moved on. There's really no point in staying quiet any longer." She inspected her fingernails. "You should tell them. It's the coward's way out. You know all about that."

The door to his cell burst open and he could make out a blurry silhouette darting towards the bars.

Jet?

Keys jangled and soon Jet was crouching next to him. Where did Azula go? He was going to tell her off. Damn it, what did Jet do with Azula?

"Come on, we need to move." Jet pulled on his arm to lift him off the floor, but it pulled at his injured side, and Lee screamed.

Jet cursed. "You're too heavy for me to carry. You've got to help me out here." He adjusted his hold and pulled him into standing. Then he was moving, but he wasn't sure how. Surely his legs didn't work anymore.

It was Jet. Jet was making him move. He needed to go with him. He would bring him to the afterlife. Agni, I do not fear death for I will find paradise in your arms.

Out of the darkness, he was surrounded by a green glow. It was still blurry, but it was blurry and green now. He was moving through passages - long, narrow, winding passages. He was leaning against Jet and running. He didn't know where they were going, just that they had to keep moving. He knew this because Jet kept telling him.

Other figures darted around them. They would pop out ahead and run from behind and clash with one another and fall back. They were like shadow puppets, indistinct and other-worldly. But Jet never stopped. He didn't seem to notice the complicated dance of the other figures. He just kept moving, and Lee knew that if Jet was still leading him, then he would follow.

The light changed again. It was dark like his cell, but less stuffy. It was a natural darkness, like night on the beach on Ember Island, like night with Jin curled up against his side. He could even smell the soap that wafted off her hair.

There was agony in his side as hands lifted him. The pain caused his vision to fail - not that he was seeing much anyway. He could hear voices, but couldn't make sense of them.

Will he be ok?/I hope so/You got everything?/Yes/You're sure about this?/Absolutely/We'll miss you/Stay safe/Good luck/You too.

He could almost make out Jin's voice.


	17. The Ship

**Chapter 17: The Ship**

Zuko awoke to familiar surroundings: the creak of metal, the hiss of steam running through pipes, the slosh of the ocean against the hull, the gentle sway of the room around him. He knew he should get up. His uncle was probably waiting for him with breakfast and some unintelligible piece of wisdom.

He sat up and his body rebelled. He was blinded by the pain in his head and his side. Every muscle ached. He fought back the sudden urge to vomit, and collapsed back into bed with a groan. Uncle could wait five more minutes.

Wait.

Uncle.

His eyes snapped open. He hadn't been on a Fire Nation ship in months. He was Lee in Ba Sing Se. He worked in a tea shop. He was captured as the leader of the resistance. He was beaten. He was … rescued? Yes, he definitely remembered Jet. But Jet was dead, wasn't he?

It was all blurry like some half remembered nightmare. Had he dreamed up the whole thing? All his time in Ba Sing Se? All the people he called friends?

Well, this wasn't his room. It was much smaller, and the full sound of the waves and the pressure of the air told him it was probably bellow the water level. And his clothes weren't very nice. They were Fire Nation, but they were cotton and not silk. And his hand…

He stared at the splinted hand in horror. Ok, it hadn't been a dream. But then, what the hell was going on?

A clank came from the hatch to the room and he took up a defensive stance – or as much of one as he could considering he was sitting, and dizzy, and his body was in ruins.

"Oh good. You're up."

He blinked twice to clear his head. "Jin?"

She grinned at him and closed the door behind her while balancing a tray of food. She was dressed in Fire Nation clothes – her top exposed her back almost completely, her skirt had a split up to her thigh, her hair was loose except for the top knot, and the color of her cloth made him feel strangely possessive.

His brain did not start to work again until she crouched next to him and forcibly closed his hanging jaw. She then placed a business-like hand against his forehead.

"Hey, your fever broke."

"My fev- What's going on? Where the hell are we?" His voice was like a croak. In response she poured him a glass of water, which he drained, and she refilled.

"Yes, your fever. How are you feeling?"

"Like I was run over by stampeding saber moose lions."

"Well, I can imagine. You've been out for a few days. I got a doctor to look at you and the good news is that you'll survive." She grinned.

He gave her a very confused look. He knew she was naturally upbeat, but this was a little ridiculous. She ignored his look and continued talking, "The doctor set and wrapped the bones in your hand. You will probably have full movement again and you can take the splints off in a few weeks. He also wrapped your ribs and patched up the cuts on your back. They were really gross looking at first, but now they're healing nicely. Also, all the small cuts and bruises should go away soon and your fingernails will grow back. Isn't that great?"

Great was not the word he would have chosen.

She poured him some tea. "Drink this. It's a pain killer. It'll also make you sleepy."

The tea was bitter. So bitter that it made him think that Jin was trying to get back at him for something. He tried very hard to remember what.

"It's good" he coughed.

"I think it might be giving you nightmares. You've been mumbling a lot in your sleep. Don't worry. You haven't said anything too compromising. Or you know, it might have been the fever rather than the tea. I guess we'll find out soon."

He took this as further evidence that she was out to get him. He set the cup down gingerly and changed the subject. "What are we doing on a Fire Nation ship?"

Her eyes sparkled and she lowered her voice conspiratorially, "We're passengers."

"What?"

"I got us two tickets. We left from the Ba Sing Se port yesterday."

"Why would you do something stupid like that?"

"It's the best way to get to the Fire Nation."

"Well, obviously!"

"Mmhmm."

"Are you insane? Why would we want to go there?"

"Because we have to find the Avatar and teach him fire bending and I think he's in the Fire Nation."

He gawked at her. "You've got to be kidding."

"Nope, Prince Zuko, I'm definitely not."

He froze.

"I… um… heh. What are you talking about?"

"Oh please." She rolled her eyes. "You know, I was upset when I found out and it wasn't from you. But I understand your reasons and I'm over it."

"You're… over it?"

"Yeah. I'd rather you be alive and have some weird, angsty back-story than not and dead."

"It's not angsty."

"Sure."

He pressed the heel of his hand into his eye.

"It's pretty neat. I'm dating a prince."

"Former Prince." Over it. Whatever. "You think it's _neat_ so you just forgot all about the part where I lied to you and how my family is responsible for everything bad that's ever happened to you?"

"I don't forget, I ignore. And I think that you give yourself too much credit. Bad things can happen to me without you being around. You're not the center of the universe."

Oh, good grief.

Ok. Let's start this again. "So, somehow you know everything you decided that the best idea was to hunt down the Avatar and teach him fire bending?"

"You were unconscious so I made an executive decision. We couldn't stay in Ba Sing Se anymore so I thought to myself, 'How else can I help the war effort?' And I thought of the Avatar and how in order for him to have his full power he needs to know all four elements and it's pretty common knowledge that he can't fire bend because he doesn't have a teacher. Then I thought, 'Hey. Lee can fire bend. And he's an expert at tracking down the Avatar.' Problem solved."

She had obviously gone crazy.

"That's great and all, but the Avatar's dead. He died when Ba Sing Se fell. Remember?"

She grinned again. "No he didn't. He went into hiding. He re-appeared at the invasion of the Fire Nation Capital."

"The Fire Nation capital was invaded?"

"Oh. I forgot that you've been out of it for a while. You see, there was an eclipse and all the fire benders lost their bending during it. So the Avatar and his friends led a force to the capital to overthrow the Fire lord. They made it all the way to the palace, but apparently the Fire Nation knew they were coming and got the drop on them. Most of their force was taken prisoner and the Avatar and his friends escaped on their bison."

"Oh, is that all?" He tried to sound sarcastic, but it didn't work.

"Drink your tea. No, it's not all. The Earth Kingdom also took back Omashu during the eclipse. Rumor is that King Bumi did it single handedly."

"And Ba Sing Se?"

"We busted you out of prison."

"Right. Well, did I miss anything else?"

"Oh Spirits, you've missed so much." She scooted onto the bed next to him and leaned against his good side, making herself comfortable as though she were settling in for a long story. "When you were captured, the Dai Li made a big deal about it. They made announcements all over the city 'the leader of the rebellion has been captured. The rebellion has fallen.' Heh. Leader. In their dreams.

"So then we started our own campaign. We spread tales of all your great deeds: stopping the slave trade, helping wanted people escape the city, reuniting the former earth benders with their families. The people were all on your side. They were outraged. Instead of destroying the resistance it grew and the people who weren't active in the resistance were sympathetic.

"Then they announced that you were to be publicly executed."

"What? I didn't hear anything about that."

"Let me finish my story."

"They were going to execute me!"

"Let me finish."

"Is that why you rescued me?"

"What? No. I rescued you because I love you, idiot. Now do you want to hear the story or not?"

"WHAT! You can't just say stupid things like that right now!"

"What's wrong with you? I can tell you whatever I damned well please. And it's not stupid. It's true."

"It's not true. You don't even know me!"

"Yes I do. And this is not the way you're supposed to react."

"How am I supposed to react then?"

"You're supposed to kiss me and tell me you love me too."

"Isn't it obvious that I love you too?"

"Yes."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't know. Why are you being such a prick? Did you learn that in prince school?"

"There's no such thing as 'Prince School'!"

"Well, I didn't know that."

He glared at her, "you're obnoxious."

She smiled. "You're one to talk."

"Finish your damned story."

She made herself more comfortable and continued. "After they announced the date of your execution there was a day of mourning throughout the city. It was great. You would have loved it."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure."

"Well, this really ticked off the Dai Li. But then two days later Quin Wei himself announced that you were not only the traitorous leader of the rebellion, but you were also the banished Fire Prince Zuko and that you had betrayed your own family and deceived Ba Sing Se.

"This would have lost us our momentum, but we used it to our advantage. We spread massive propaganda even before the people could feel outraged. We told all about how you had been banished by your own father for speaking out against the Fire Lord, how you had come to Ba Sing Se like so many people as a refugee and you moved your way up to the upper ring through shear will and determination and fantastic, wholesome, tea making skills.

"A lot of people knew about the Jasmine Dragon and the good you've done in Ba Sing Se. The people banded together like I've never seen before and rioted."

"They rioted over me? Was anyone hurt?"

"Two squads of fire benders and about thirty Dai Li." She smirked.

He blinked up at the ceiling. Her story was not putting his mind at ease at all.

"Then it was announced that you wouldn't be executed in Ba Sing Se – probably because they worried about making you an even bigger martyr. They said that you would be sent to the Fire Nation and dealt with there. Rumor had it that some member of the royal family was coming to get you personally. So the Rebellion made plans for an assassination and me and Longshot and 'Bee made plans to rescue you."

"See, they weren't going to execute me."

"Yes, yes, you're so smart."

He scowled.

"… Do you have any news of my uncle?" He asked the question slowly, figuring she knew the story of his imprisonment and perhaps knew of any plans to rescue him.

"Well, the morning after you disappeared the girls came in and found a note from Mushi. He said that he was taking a very long vacation and if they wanted to they could sell the shop and keep the proceeds. He left them each a month's pay and a list of places where they would have luck getting new jobs."

"Wait. He wasn't taken prisoner?"

"Not that I'm aware. He probably escaped with his secret pai sho buddies."

"And Suri's ok?"

Jin blinked at him. "Yeah, she's fine. Freaked out. But fine."

After a short moment to process this, he let out a relieved sigh and then an almost frantic laugh. "They told me they had them."

"Torture, Lee. Torture. They lie about things." Her voice sounded bitter and it made him realize that maybe she was more concerned with this situation than she was letting on. He had dragged her through a lot lately. He reached for her, and pulled her close.

"I guess the Jasmine Dragon is dead then."

"Ha! The girls kept it. They figured out how to restock supplies and keep the books and they even hired two new girls. They kept complaining about the 'man power shortage'. And given your new found fame, business has never been better."

"You're kidding."

"No. They love that place. It's like a second home."

He thought on that one for a while. She closed her eyes and snuggled closer.

"What's it like being a prince? Did you have all sorts of servants? Do you live in a palace? Do you have a bunch of exotic animals?"

"One at a time."

"Well, you just got to ask questions. Now it's my turn."

"You answer questions in unhelpful ways."

"Well, it's hard to come up with an answer to 'what the hell, Jin? Grump grump grump.'"

"Fine. You can ask anything you want. Just ask tomorrow. I think that tea is starting to work."

"I can ask all day?"

"All day."

"And you'll be truthful?"

"No more lies."

"You sure? I ask hard questions."

"Yeah sure."

"Can I ask two tonight?"

"You've already asked like twenty!"

"I have not. And they're very important."

"Fine."

"Should I call you Lee or Zuko?" His name sounded strange from her lips. She mouthed the word again to herself.

He felt as though he'd been punched. That probably was an important question. "You can just make it easier on yourself and call me Lee. I'm used to it." A great deal went unsaid in his answer and he hoped that she knew him well enough to know what he meant: Lee is the man I want to be, the one who people are proud of, the one with friends, the one you love.

"What's your other question?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah!" She stood up and lifted her arms from her sides. "Do you like my new outfit?" She slowly turned around so he could take it all in.

He smiled. "You look stunning."

* * *

_The resistance meeting was half way through when Longshot hurried into the room._

"_I need to speak to Jin alone."_

_The room fell silent, everyone staring wide eyed at Longshot. Several of them had never heard him speak before._

_Jin nodded. "If you could all wait outside." They stood hesitantly and exited the room, everyone walking slowly so they might catch part of what was happening. _

_Smellerbee hadn't moved. Longshot gave her a reproving look. " 'Bee." Her eyes widened in fear and she followed after the rest of the group, pausing to look over her shoulder before sliding the door closed._

"_Quin Wei came to see Lee personally today." Jin's heart rate rose slightly, but she kept her face schooled and nodded for him to continue. "Quin Wei recognized him. Lee's from the Fire Nation."_

_Jin swallowed. "Yes, I know."_

_Longshot nodded. "He was identified as the banished Prince Zuko."_

_She stopped breathing. She searched Longshot's eyes, praying that it was a joke. But his gaze said otherwise, and the very fact that he was speaking was proof enough that it was true._

"_They'll make an announcement in a few hours. They'll say that he has deceived and betrayed us, just as he did his home country."_

_Jin sunk slowly into her chair and closed her eyes. Why hadn't he told her this? She felt hurt and angry, not at what he was, but just that he had kept it from her. Despite everything he had never trusted her completely. _

_She had always wondered what that one last secret was, and now she knew. Now she had found out from a third party, in a situation where his secrecy would cause a world of trouble. Spirits damn him._

"_I'll break the news to 'Bee. She'll take it pretty hard."_

_Jin murmured a small sound of agreement, then fell into a brooding silence._

"_He's a good man." Her eyes darted up to meet Longshot's face._

_Longshot never lied._

"_Yes. He is."_

_Longshot nodded and went to retrieve the people standing in the hall. Jin pushed her emotions down, promising that she would look at them later when she was alone and after they had come up with a battle plan. Right now was the time to focus._

Jin lay next to Lee, watching him sleep. By all rights she should be furious with him. He had lied to her. Again. He had put everyone in danger. Now she had to leave her home – her family – her dreams.

But he hadn't really made her do that. It was her choice. Everything had been her choice. Everything. She saw again a lifeless body tied to a chair, blood flowing freely onto the floor, seeping into the wood, seeping into her soul.

She had done that for Lee, to avenge him.

No, she had done it for herself, for vengeance.

She squeezed her eyes closed and begged the image to pass.

Spirits, she was so stupid. Once upon a time she was intelligent and self reliant, with a brilliant future ahead of her. Now she was a love sick girl who did stupid, monstrous things for a boy. A boy who for all intents and purposes abused her trust -like so many people before him. She had chosen time and time again to trust him, to follow him, to love him. She was like a brainless heroine in a pulpy romance scroll that she had always thought were constructs of chauvinistic fantasies - completely unrealistic.

A brainless heroin with swords.

How could she have let this happen?

She looked at Lee's face, noting his shallow, uneven breathing. Compulsively she brushed his sweat covered hair from his face, ever so gently. Closing her eyes, she rested her head in the crook of his arm and inhaled his scent of sweat and dirt and blood.

Damn him. Damn herself.

* * *

Lee thought that the torturous interrogation was behind him. However, he woke up the next morning to ticklish pokes in his ribs and an evil grin on Jin's face.

What's the palace like? How big is it? How many people live there? Do you have your own room, or suite, or wing? How many servants are there? What do they do? Isn't that an invasion of privacy? Can you tell them to go away? What's the court like? Is there lots of juicy gossip and scandals? Like what?

Where did you go to school? What did they teach you? Did you learn about diplomacy and … leader stuff? What kind of leader stuff? Who taught you dual swords? Who taught you to fire bend?

What did you do for fun? Seriously? That sounds so lame. Did you have any friends? … Any girlfriends? Do you really have a sister or was that fake?

Ugg. Of course he would have to talk about her. It was really just a matter of time. This day was just going to be a series of horrible flashbacks to his terrible childhood.

"I have a younger sister, Azula."

"You both have Zs. Zu and Zu."

"Don't call me that."

She raised her eyebrows, then developed an evil grin.

"No. I'm serious."

"You're no fun."

"I'm ok with that."

"What's your sister like?"

"She's a crazy, manipulative liar."

"Everyone thinks their siblings are crazy."

"Most of them have no idea what they're talking about."

What kind of food do they eat in the Fire Nation? How do they great each other? What kind of music is popular there? Will you sing me a song?

At this point he insisted that they go out on the deck and get some air and maybe some lunch.

"Is Mushi really your uncle?"

"Yes, of course."

"He's your mother's brother?"

"No, he's my father's brother, Iroh." Lee had quickly become aware of how little Jin knew of the Fire Nation. Not that he could blame her. He hadn't known much about the customs of the Earth Kingdom.

"Iroh… That name sounds familiar."

"General Iroh, Dragon of the West?"

"Who lead a siege against Ba Sing Se for 600 days!"

"Yeah. That's him."

"That nice old man, who was my father figure and gave me free tea!"

"Hey! He told me he was just giving you a discount."

"That's crazy! Security in Ba Sing Se is atrocious."

"Maybe you should send them an angry letter."

She wasn't listening to him. Instead her brow was furrowed in deep thought. "So is your father, like, really old?"

"What? No. He's a decade younger than my uncle."

"Huh… Then … Why isn't Mushi the Fire Lord?"

That question kind of threw him and then he rubbed his temples with the knowledge that he would have to tell _that _story.

"Wow. Your dad screwed over you and your uncle. Is that why Mushi came with you when you were banished?"

"No, I …. I don't know why he came." He trailed off and stared out at the sea.

"He went with you because he loved you," she said very matter-of-factly.

Were you close to your cousin? Were you close to your grandfather? What was your mother like?

It was weird. She asked about people as if they were simply members of his family and not the leaders of the war against her people. She seemed to understand that he was of two minds about his family, which was an unusual and slightly unnerving experience for him. "Sometimes the people we love can do terrible things, but that doesn't mean we can stop loving them" she murmured.

What do you miss most about the Fire Nation? If your life could be magically put back to normal, what would be the first thing you'd do? Was it hard to live as a peasant and wash your own socks and comb your own hair? Is that why your hair's so messy? What was the strangest thing about living in the Earth Kingdom? Why does Mushi like tea so much?

"You seem really unwilling to go see the Avatar."

"We don't exactly get along."

"Why not? He's the Avatar. Isn't he supposed to like everyone?"

"No."

"What did you do to him?"

"I chased him around the world trying to capture him and bring him back to the Fire Nation. Remember?"

"Yeah. So what?"

"What do you mean?"

She suddenly frowned. "Were you rude to him?"

He blinked at her. "Yes."

"What did you do?" Her voice was accusatory for the first time and it was making him anxious.

"What did I do? I captured him. Twice. I burned down one of his friend's villages. I beat all of them up thoroughly. I kidnapped one of his friends to use as bait. I stole her dead mother's necklace and used it to try to find them. You name it. I did it."

She considered this with her arms crossed over her breast. "How were you going to use a dead mother's necklace to find the Avatar? Did you ask her spirit or something?"

"No! There was this animal that smelled things and … ugg, never mind."

"That sounds like a dumb idea. Did it work?"

"Well, no. Not really."

"Were you really trying to catch the Avatar or was this some sort of complicated sabotage thing?"

"Arg!"

"You know. I can see how a reunion could be a little awkward for you. But the Avatar is supposed to be a great guy. Right? And you're a great guy. So if everyone just gives it a chance I'm sure you'll hit it off."

She was crazy. He was absolutely positive now.


	18. The War Balloon

**Chapter 18: The War Balloon**

Jin had made very careful arrangements for their travel. They docked at the harbor city just after nightfall, when only the seediest people walked the streets. She appeared out of the storage decks with an emu-horse and two bags of supplies. Zuko discovered that - unlike his uncle - she had packed well. She used the room granted to her by not bringing useless things to hold a fair amount of dried food and money, an antique compass, a surprisingly up to date map, two sleeping bags, and a whole lot of weaponry. She had even thought ahead to give him a hooded cloak to cast a shadow over his face.

Their paperwork had been forged by a professional. He was posing as Li, a merchant from the colonies, and she was his wife, Mae.

"We're married?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hold you to it."

"Why'd you pick Mae?"

"You're not the only one who gets to come up with an uncreative alias."

"You changed the way my name is spelled."

"Bitch bitch bitch."

They stopped in a bar to come up with a plan and have a last good meal before their camping trip. It was definitely not the best food, but it was cheap and it was warm.

"Were do we go from here?" he whispered.

"I don't really know." She unfolded the map carefully so as not to draw attention. "They say that he headed north from the capital. We should start heading that direction. Once we get out of the city we can discretely ask around."

He sighed and took a swig of his sake. "We don't need to do that. If they were headed north, then I know where they went."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"Trust me. I'm an expert."

On the edge of the city, just before dawn, he slowed the emu-horse and gazed back at the capital. The crater was so close. He knew that he should feel something about being so near to his home. But instead he just felt empty. He couldn't go back. He wasn't wanted here. This wasn't his home.

Jin squeezed him around the chest in a consoling way as she followed his gaze toward the palace. "You alright?"

"Yeah," and he kicked the emu horse into movement again.

* * *

Jin slept through most of the trip, her head lolling against his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his waist. He couldn't sleep, and didn't bother to stop until they got to the northern shore in the late afternoon. The emu-horse was about to collapse and he got it some water before setting up camp on the rocky, black beach.

"Where do we go from here?" Jin asked

"There should be an airship outpost about three miles east of here. After we've rested we're going to steal a war balloon."

"What?"

"We could steal a boat if you prefer."

"Can't we hire a boat?"

"No."

"Do you have a plan for how to break into an outpost, steal a war balloon, get out alive, and not have them follow us?"

"I'll come up with something."

"While you're coming up with something, remember that you're not in the best condition."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"I just don't want you to bite off more than you can chew. Or re-injure yourself."

"Just get some sleep."

Jin frowned and lay down in her sleeping bag. Lee's breath evened almost immediately. He was probably exhausted. Jin, however, couldn't fall asleep. She had never seen the ocean before she got on the Fire Nation ship. Now she listened to the waves crashing against the stony shore and looked up at the stars. She could see the universe spinning around her, a thousand times brighter than in the city.

It was her job to get Lee to the Avatar. After that she wouldn't have a purpose. She would have to sit back and watch. She wasn't particularly fond of that idea, but it was what she had to do.

The waves continued in an annoyingly monotonous sort of way. She needed to do something. She needed to act. She needed to keep Lee safe and she needed to prove herself.

Sliding silently out of her sleeping bag, she grabbed her swords and Lee's cloak. With a final look at Lee's still form, she kicked the emu-horse into a trot.

* * *

It wasn't hard to find the outpost as it was brilliantly lit and surrounded by a thirty foot barricade. She watched the guards for an hour, memorizing their patrols, before she slowly scaled the wall. It wasn't hard and the stones were large and rounded and the sloppy way the mortar had been put on provided excellent hand and foot holds. Once on top of the wall, she hid behind a stack of boxes and held her breath as the next watch passed an arm's length away from her. She slipped into a dark watch tower, poised to attack anyone that came across her path. But the building was empty and she quickly found stairs that led down to the inside of the fort.

She spotted a ditch that must have been some kind of sewer system covered by metal bars that were wide enough to slip through. She slinked through the shadows and for a moment she thought that she had been seen by a passing patrol before she was able to drop down into the dark, stinking tunnel, complete with ankle deep water that splashed upon impact. She held her breath and pressed herself against the slimy wall, not daring to move a muscle.

They would find her. They would capture her and the mission would fail and Lee would be left alone, not knowing where she was. Oh spirits, they were going to find her.

Several minutes passed and no soldier looked into the tunnel. No light shone on her face. No one called out for her surrender or reinforcements.

She managed to take several calming breaths and unclench her muscles. Pull it together, Jin.

The ditch kept her hidden from sight and allowed her to cross the compound easily. From her hiding spot she watched the guards until the timing of their pacing was ingrained in her mind like the ticking of machinery. With careful timing, she dashed across the fifty feet of open yard to a large, bland storehouse.

She knew this would be where the balloons were. She could feel it. Slipping inside the barn she was met with the sight of row upon row of man sized baskets. She snuck up and peered over the edge of one. Inside was a cast iron furnace and a bag that surely held the balloon fabric. She looked around for any sign of how to move one out of the building, much less out of the fort.

Nothing.

_Great_.

The roof was attached to a series of ropes and pulleys that when pulled, would probably cause the ceiling to retract. If it worked, it was a mechanical marvel. One that she should think about later.

There were two entrances to the room, the one she came in and one at the back. She noticed that both could be barricaded and a ridiculous plan took shape in her mind.

Without thinking she locked the back door and strained to stack several heavy barrels in front of it. She dashed across the room, slashing the fabric of every balloon she passed just for the hell of it, and repeated the procedure on the front door.

Now she just had to figure out how to inflate a large war balloon on her own before the fire benders caught her. No sweat.

After far too much time staring at and experimenting with the equipment in the basket, she figured out how the balloon attached above the furnace and spread the fabric out, laying it over one of the other nearby baskets. Good. Now she just had to fill it with hot air.

This would be the point when a fire bender would come in handy. She bit her lip, looked around, spotted supplies and grabbed them all indiscriminately. She threw a mound of coal into the furnace and doused it with lighter fluid. Was that too much fuel? Not enough? Oh well, too late now. Scraping her tiger hooks against each other, she sent a shower of sparks into the furnace.

The fire caught with a roar and she jumped back to keep from getting burned.

Come on, get hotter. Get hotter. Fill balloon. Fill.

She heard the footsteps of the patrol pass the warehouse. Please, Spirits, please don't let them check in here. Don't let them hear the noise. Please please please.

The footsteps got softer, and Jin released the breath she had been holding. She readjusted the canvas over the furnace, and fanned the flame with her skirt with little result. Was she doing it wrong? No! The fabric was starting to fill! Parts of the canvas were rising slowly, beginning to billow into an ambiguous lumpy form.

Yes! It was working. It was working!

"Do you hear something?"

Oh shit. Jin spun to face the door in a defensive position.

"Sounds like a balloon." The barricaded door jiggled slightly.

"Door's locked."

"It's what?" The door jiggled again. Jin checked on the balloon, which was probably a third full.

There was a bang against the door, then another, then silence.

She swallowed and checked the balloon. Still a third full. Yeah, as if something would have changed since the last time she looked at it.

A bang came from the far door, then the muffled sounds of conversation. Soon she could hear a crowd of soldiers at both doors. Shouting, raising the alarm. Then there was the echoing pound from a battering ram.

They were coming and the balloon was not yet full.

_Take strength from your breath. Keep your root. The sword is an extension of your arm._

The door closest to her burst open first and she ran to meet the streaming soldiers. She bent, grabbed the first one's foot, and flipped him over her head. She sliced at the next man and spun her hooks to dissipate the fireball from the one after that. Spin and kick to the face. As her tiger hooks clashed with the soldiers' weapons, they made the same sound as her father's hammer against an anvil. Clang clang clang clang clang spin clang push. She bent backwards as a sword swished past where her head once was and cart wheeled over to land on her feet.

The balloon was filling slowly and surely and she began to fall back towards it. Clang clang left right left swing jump clang clang. A second burst of flame missed her, but caught one of the baskets, which began to burn. The warehouse was full of dancing orange light and the air quickly became stifling as the fire spread to another basket.

Her balloon began to deflate, and she barely blocked another sword. Clang clang kick spin run clang clang swipe. She fought her way to the mechanism that controlled the roof. Slicing through a thick rope in one swing, the mechanism loosened and spun rapidly, the roof fell open with a deafening smash as the cool night air evaded the warehouse. The balloon started to inflate again in the newly chilled air. Clang clang bend kick stab jump.

They had broken through the other door and a second wave was upon her as she reached her now inflated balloon. Men were shouting and she fought desperately to protect her only escape route. Spears were thrown in an attempt to puncture the fabric, and she jumped to divert their trajectory, then battled off three more men with spears. Clang clang swish kick clang shove.

The balloon was straining to escape and she struck at the tethers holding it to the ground. Saw saw saw, block the soldier, and kick, and saw. The balloon shuddered and lifted from the ground, she continued to fight off men who had grabbed hold of the basket. She stepped on their hands and kicked their faces and blocked more shots of fire directed at the balloon as she rose out of the warehouse and out to sea.

The last man fell into the ocean with a scream and a distant splash. It was suddenly quiet- just the wind and the roar of the waning fire in the furnace and her frantically beating heart.

Jin leaned against the side of the basket, staring at the receding fort, expecting to see a second balloon appear and chase her. But there was nothing.

She could hardly believe that she had done it. Surely she hadn't. This was just a dream or something had gone wrong. The shock that she was still alive had yet to hit her.

The lights from the fort grew smaller and smaller.

The furnace spluttered and she again fanned the fire to gain some kind of altitude. Oh no. Now how did she steer it?

* * *

Zuko awoke to a shout of "Lee, look out!" and the sound of several trees falling.

"Jin?!"

"Ugg."

He looked around frantically in the pre-dawn light to see the results of a terribly botched war balloon landing.

"Jin!" He raced towards the balloon and sifted through the tangled mass of fabric.

She moaned again and something under the fabric moved. "How do I get out?"

After several minutes, he dug through the balloon enough to see Jin's disheveled hair and victorious smile.

"I traded in the emu-horse of a better model" she explained.

He stared at her in something between disbelief and fury.

She struggled out of the basket and began adjusting things. "I bet you'll really help to keep it aloft. I almost crashed twice."

"Where did you-"

"Help me get it re-inflated. I used up all the coal."


	19. The Avatar

AN: Just to clear things up. Zuko knew of the base that Jin so recently infiltrated because up until a few months ago it was a naval research base, which he visited a few times as a child with his father and Azula. He was thoroughly embarrassed by his sister during the last visit, but that's another story. It has recently been modified into a war balloon base, with the intention of preparing for future attacks on the North Pole. The Ba Sing Se resistance has known of its location and purpose for a while due to their interception of military messages. (Also, the Fire Nation has set up an airship base in the western area of the agrarian district in Ba Sing Se, and has been flying war balloons over the city to strike fear into the people's hearts.) Due to the proximity and imminent threat of the base in question, The Northern Water Tribe has taken appropriate defensive measures.

Why didn't the Gaang know about this development? Because they didn't ask. Aang was in hiding and the invasion plans were kept very quiet (well, they thought they were quiet.) So Ba Sing Se didn't know of the invasion until it happened and the Northern Water Tribe were being jerks and not talking to Hakoda because they were upset about something or another (who can keep track anymore?)

So there you go. Thanks for pointing out that this was weird. (Also, things24: oops! I made the correction, thanks.)

* * *

**Chapter 19: The Avatar**

Jin watched as Lee practice his first conversation with the Avatar. It was sad. And funny. He could be so eloquent when he wanted to be - when he wasn't nervous. She pondered how to make him less anxious while he paced back and forth, finally doing a poor impersonation of his uncle, and then his sister (although she couldn't be sure of the accuracy of that one). When he started impersonating her she had to put a stop to it.

"Hi Avatar and all your friends! I've heard so much about you! I'm big into helping people and I came up with this plan the other day where I would get my boyfriend to teach you fire bending. The great news is that you already know each other. Yay! Group hug!"

"I don't sound like that. You suck at impersonations."

He collapsed onto the ground to hang his head between his knees. "I suck at a lot of things."

She cleared her throat, "Hey, Zuko here. I'm mopey and don't want to be here, but I'm so whipped that I have no choice. I'm also so nervous that you won't like me that I'm going to babble about useless crap. Grrrrr."

"I don't have a lisp."

"It's cute."

"Group hug!"

"I have never said that before."

"I doubt that."

"Are you ready to go, or what?"

"I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

He hefted himself onto his feet with a wince and she leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

"You look hot."

"I hope that doesn't affect the avatar's decision."

"Ooo!"

"No."

* * *

Jin absolved Lee of any fault for the fiasco that followed. Yeah, he had been nervous, and awkward, and not terribly coherent, but he hadn't really done anything wrong. And, after all, she had been the one to draw her tiger hooks. What was she supposed to do? The water bender had hit him with a whole torrent. It was just a low blow to hit someone who was injured! Jin wasn't going to sit back and let that happen. Of course, acting on instinct like that had been wrong, and the whole situation just escalated from there. The water bender had freaked out (beyond what Jin would consider reasonable), and the sarcastic boy had started screaming, and the Avatar (who she thought they had been reaching) had looked so angry at the end.

Jin mostly blamed the Avatar and his friends. Why didn't they see reason?

"Those idiots. Does he not want to learn fire bending? Do they want the world to end? Why can't people just get over their prejudices? It's what I've been saying this whole time about looking past the surface and recognizing the people – the souls – underneath."

"They kind of already know me."

Lee sat next to the camp fire and watched as Jin paced. It was a role reversal for her to be the one that was upset. And he was enjoying the fact that he had correctly predicted the outcome of their meeting with the Avatar, while she had been wrong. This, plus her indignant anger and the last twenty minutes of her cursing the Avatar and his friends while expounding upon Lee's many virtues, was making him feel somewhat better.

She waved him off. "Don't be stupid. It takes a whole lot of time and effort to get to know you. And I should know."

"Maybe they don't want to put in that kind of effort."

"Well, they don't have to. Do they really have to know you, or even get along with you, to learn fire bending?"

"I think your argument is getting confused."

"I think you should shut up."

He did so and watched in mild amusement as she paced a circuit around the fire again before slumping to the ground next to him.

"So what do we do now?"

"Try again tomorrow."

"They'll be nicer tomorrow, will they?"

He shrugged. "Maybe." She scoffed. He decided that she was very attractive when she was a little pissy. "They'll have had time to think on it. And we've come this far, it'd be stupid to turn around after one meeting and go back… Wait, can we go back?"

"No." Jin groaned and buried her face in his shoulder.

He kissed the top of her head. "We'll try again tomorrow. Then we'll try again the next day. We'll wear them down and convince them. This is too important to give up."

She groaned again.

"Do you have a better plan?"

"We could kidnap the Avatar and force him to learn fire bending."

"Jin, don't say that."

She sat up and looked to the stars. "I've actually been thinking about contingency plans. Longshot knows all the sympathetic fire benders. We could go back to Ba Sing Se and bring one of them here."

"I don't think any of them would come. There's a difference between desertion and just having a big mouth."

"We could dress the Avatar up like a Fire Nation kid – he could wear a hat or something – then we enroll him in a fire bending school."

"And he'd wear a hat the whole time?"

"Yes."

"And they'd trust us to recommend a fire bending school? They wouldn't think it was some sort of stupid trick?"

"It wouldn't be you teaching."

"No, but we'd give them the information, so there's still the trust issue."

"Can we give them the information without letting them know it's from us?"

"Just leave a note with a map and some names somewhere they could find it, and go home and hope for the best?"

"Sure."

"Would you be satisfied with that?"

She sighed. "No."

"Plus there's the problem that fire bending schools usually only meet once or twice a week and go fairly slowly. He doesn't have that kind of time. He needs intensive training."

"So we could find a master and bring him here. Someone sympathetic. Maybe we could break a traitor out of prison."

"I wouldn't know how to do that."

"I do. I'm the expert on prison breaks."

"I think we'd still run into the problem that they don't trust us. No matter how we find another teacher, if we show up with someone to teach him fire bending, they won't be trusted either just by association."

"So we have to get them to trust you."

"Yeah."

"Huh. How do we do that?"

"We get them to like you – that's easy. Everyone likes you. And I just come along for the ride."

"Oh, that's not true."

"Yes it is."

"Alright, it is. But don't let it get you down."

"I don't."

"Maybe we could bring them a hot dish. The women in my tenement do that all the time. It's friendly."

"Your cooking would make them sick. They'd think we're trying to kill them."

"Hey, you watch it."

From the bushes behind their campsite Toph listened in on their conversation. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop. She was going to come and talk to him and she just … got distracted.

Ok, so she was spying. Who cared?

If she hadn't already known they were sincere from their faint pulses traveling through the ground, then it was surely clear now from their conversation. They were trying hard to help. They were going out of their way when they really didn't have to.

It really was nice of them.

She thought again about standing up and talking to them. Tell them she was on their side. Invite them back to the air temple right now.

But then they started kissing and Toph decided that she had heard quite enough, thank you. She hurried back to the temple. They would try again tomorrow. And she would be on their side.

* * *

They went back down to the Air Temple the next day to find that only the water bender was home. They exchanged a look. Zuko shrugged, and led the way up to her.

She was stirring some sort of soup that she water bent defensively in front of her when she saw them approach. Bits of carrots and celery hung suspended in the liquid and actually managed to look threatening. "Zuko!"

"Umm… hey."

"What are you doing here? Aang's not here. He's off training with Toph, and I'm not telling you where they are!"

"Well, that's alright. We can … uh … talk to you? Try and be friends?" Oh, he sounded so stupid.

"Friends?! You're delusional." Her eyes shifted to Jin. "And who are you?"

Jin smiled. "I'm Jin. I'm the leader of the Ba Sing Se resistance movement, and I'm the one who dragged L-Zuko here."

The water bender narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "You use tiger hooks."

Zuko found this an odd statement, but Jin smiled again. "Yeah." She drew them quickly and the water bender tensed. Jin flipped them and held them out to the other girl, handle first. "You can hold onto them if you'd like. I trust you to give them back."

The water bender looked just as startled by this as Zuko was. What was more surprising was that she bent the soup back into the pot and took the swords carefully and inspected them with something akin to awe.

"Where did you get these?"

"A friend of mine gave them to me."

"What was his name?"

"Longshot."

The water bender's head snapped up. "… These _are_ Jet's!"

Zuko started "How do you know Jet?" but Jin already knew the answer from the pain visible in her eyes.

"Yes. They were. He was a courageous man and died with honor. Zuko made sure he received a proper burial."

This was obviously the wrong thing to say as the girl turned on Zuko and started shouting again.

"You're a terrible person, you know that? Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood. I'm disgusted that you would soil Jet's death with your presence!"

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't! How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me personally!" She was on the brink of tears and brandishing the tiger hooks as though she might use them. "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."

Jin felt a pang in her chest and attempted to avoid the mental picture of her brother.

"I'm sorry." Zuko said. "That's something we have in common."

They stared at each other for a moment. The water bender averting her eyes first.

Her voice was soft when she spoke again. "I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"It doesn't matter."

"It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face."

He visibly twitched and his voice grew slightly harder. "My face. I see."

The girl's eyes widened and she quickly corrected herself, honestly not wanting to offend him. Well, not like that anyway. "No, no, that's not what I meant."

"It's ok. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."

The girl averted her eyes again and Zuko shot a look at Jin. It was something like gratitude.

"We'll come back later… when the Avatar is here."

He turned to leave but the water bender called out to stop him. "Wait. I- I have healing abilities."

Zuko turned to her. "What?"

"Your hand. I can tell it's pretty bad. What happened?"

"Nothing."

She gave him a look of disbelief.

Zuko rolled his eyes and gave Jin a sideways look. She thought that getting the girl to heal his hand was a great idea and wasn't going to help him get out of it. "The Dai Li" he mumbled.

"What? Did you punch them and break your hand?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

The girl stepped forward and Zuko took a step back. Jin snatched up his hand impatiently and held it out for the girl, who slowly unwrapped the bindings, then the many splints.

She gasped as the swollen purple flesh was uncovered. "Tui and La…" Zuko hadn't seen his damaged hand before and averted his gaze as he felt the bile rise in his throat. Jin held his arm steady.

"It's looking better than it was, actually" she offered quietly.

His hand became cool and tingly, then slightly numb. "Wow" Jin murmured.

"This is really bad" the water bender said. "How long did it go untreated?"

Zuko shifted uncomfortably. "I- I'm not really sure."

The water bender turned to Jin, who supplied the information. "The doctor near the port said that it had probably been two or three days since the fingers were broken. And that the finger nails were probably removed before that."

"Yeah, that's about right" he muttered.

His hand felt wet for the first time as the water dripped off his arm. He glanced down to see that his color looked much more natural.

"Can you move it?"

He slowly balled his hand into a loose fist. It was still sore, but significantly healed. "This is… Thank you."

"Re-growing your fingernails will really hurt. If I were you, I'd just wear a glove and let them come in by themselves."

Zuko nodded and inspected his hand, moving it this way and that.

"I'm Katara, by the way." She held out her hand in the customary Water Tribe greeting. He stretched out his repaired hand and grasped her forearm.

* * *

Jin was gathering lychee nuts when she ran into the sarcastic boy on the path.

"You!" he shouted, drawing his sword.

"Hi" Jin smiled.

The boy's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here? We told you to get lost."

"I'm gathering lychee nuts. And berries. But I'm not really sure if they're edible. Do you know?" She held one up to show him. His glare tinted with confusion. "You could also have a lychee nut. I know that those are good."

The boy seemed to have an internal struggle between his desire to eat and his need to be distrustful. Jin sat down on a rock to give him time to decide.

"My name's Jin. What's yours?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"To be polite."

He scoffed. "Yeah sure."

"I know Zuko lacks manners, but his irritability hasn't rubbed off on me yet."

"You going to apologize for him?"

"No. I have no control over his actions, believe me." She held out a lychee nut again. This time he took it and sat across the path from her.

"I'm Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe."

"Really? I've never met anyone from there. What's it like?"

"Cold. And small. But I was working on rebuilding it. I built a defensive wall and a watch tower."

"You built them yourself?"

"That's right."

"Wow."

The boy smirked, and took another nut. "Yeah, I pretty much ran the tribe until I decided to help Aang find a water bending teacher."

"You're a politician?"

"I'm a warrior. And a strategist." His chest seemed to puff out.

"I'm a strategist too. I'm not much of a warrior though. Zuko pretty much covers that."

"Is that why he's so useless by himself?"

"Hey, he's not useless. I actually think he could help you."

"With your crazy fire bending teaching idea?"

"You've never had a crazy plan?"

He looked at his feet and fiddled with the hilt of his sword. "Yeah."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"I had this plan where we would turn the fire benders stationed in Ba Sing Se against the Dai Li. We spent weeks spreading rumors and feeding them false information, causing problems then spreading blame. It was going perfectly and the tension was about to reach a head. The next step was to incite violence between them. I sent an earth bender to throw rocks at the fire benders as the Dai Li passed. Then Zuko was going to shoot fire back at the Dai Li. Then we would leave them to their own devices and their control would crumble.

"But they caught Zuko, and they were so distracted by catching him that they forgot all about their internal fighting. The plan failed and they hurt him and it was all my fault."

She looked up into Sokka's face. He seemed to understand her completely. "I'm trying to atone for my mistakes. If I help the Avatar, then my city will be saved. If Zuko helps the Avatar, the world will be saved and he'll in some way atone for being terrible to you and your friends."

The boy seemed to consider this. "He was pretty terrible, you know."

"Yeah." She smiled. "I bet he was."

They talked for another hour. They talked about all the awful things Zuko had done, while casting his antics in an amusing light. He complained about how terrible Ba Sing Se was and she told him that it would get better eventually. He told her about his discovery of his love for haiku and they bonded over their shared joy of reading. He said that he went to a library in a desert that was filled with the most amazing volumes. Jin told him about how she would have attended the University where the professor he met taught. Except that the Fire Nation invaded. She told him about the resistance and her friendship with Longshot and Smellerbee. He told her about how stupid Jet was. She told him about her tiger hooks and he told her that his sword was made from a meteorite. She told him about how you couldn't see meteor showers in the city. He told her about the southern polar lights and how sometimes there was only an hour or two of sunlight each day. She told him some tea jokes that she had learned from Mushi and he told her some jokes about leopard seals. They finished all the nuts and tested the berries. She told him about the war balloon she had stolen and flew, and he said that he had helped design them.

By the time night fell, they were best friends.

* * *

The next day they were ready to try again with the Avatar. He jumped up as he saw them approach the open courtyard. His face was pulled into a scowl and he held his staff aggressively. He soon realized that his friends had not sprung to the defensive. He cast confused sideways looks in their directions, before bristling further.

"What are you doing here?"

Zuko stopped and held up his hands. "I just want to talk."

"We don't want to hear what you have to say."

"Aang," Katara reached up and placed a hand on his arm, "Maybe you should listen."

The Avatar's eyes widened in something resembling betrayal.

"I don't think it's a great idea," Toph said, "Where else are we going to find a fire bender? If it'll help take down the Fire Lord, who really cares?"

"But-"

"Look," Sokka said, holding up his hands in an appeasing manner, "Maybe he's screwed up in the past. Ok, a lot in the past. But it seems like … I don't know, he's been doing a lot of good in Ba Sing Se. People change, right?"

"You guys were the ones who said we could never trust him!"

"I know we did," Katara lowered her eyes, looking slightly ashamed, "but maybe we were wrong."

"Give him a chance, Twinkle Toes. We can take him if he pulls anything." Toph pounded her fist into her hand menacingly.

Aang didn't know where any of this was coming from. Just the other day his friends had all been against Zuko. Were they talking about this behind his back? Yes. Of course they were. He already knew that. But _this_ had been the conclusion they came to? Trusting Zuko?

Zuko could see that they were getting through to the boy and spoke up again. "I know I haven't explained myself very well. I've been through a lot in the past few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right. All I want now is to play my part in ending this war. And I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world." He bowed. "I'm sorry."

His speech was honest, from the heart. He always did better when he spoke like that. He didn't trip over his words, worrying about if he was saying the right thing.

He remained bowed, waiting anxiously for the Avatar's answer, but smart enough not to push it. Aang chewed the inside of his bottom lip, weighing everything he knew about Zuko against his friends' recommendations and the pull in his gut. He had once asked if they could be friends, and part of him still thought that they could. The only reason that they weren't already was because Zuko had reacted poorly to the offer. But now he was ready. He was ready to accept friendship and stand firmly on the side of good and teach that last missing bending art.

Really, part of him had been expecting this for a while now. It was poetic. It was a happy ending. And he appreciated happy endings.

Aang smiled and bowed to Zuko. "I'd like you to teach me."

* * *

"So here you go, home sweet home. I guess, you know, for now." Sokka gestured about a small, bare room that emphasized the fact that monks once lived here. _"_Unpack... lunch soon. Uh...welcome aboard?" Sokka really was trying hard, but both he and Zuko were aware of how awkward it was.

Zuko gave the boy a small smile to try to ease the tension. It didn't seem to work. It might have actually made Sokka more ill at ease, as he responded to the smile with a blank look, then turned and left.

This was going to be slow going.

He had only pulled a few things out of his bag before Jin came in, dropped her bag on the floor, and sprawled on his bed.

"They showed me to a room down the hall." She shook her head in disbelief. "Prudes."


	20. Aang's Field Trip

AN: Excerpt from Manimekhalai: The Dancer with the Magic Bowl by Seethalai Saathanar, translated by Alain Danielou.

* * *

**Chapter20: Aang's field Trip**

Jin and Zuko faced each other. Both were in tense, wide stances. Their swords gleamed in the evening light. Both were smirking.

At the first sign of movement, they flew at one another. They slashed in precise figure eights, dodging the other's weapons perfectly. They forced one another back and forth in a battle for dominance that was played out without their weapons even touching, just a swishing sound and a step backward here and there. She finally broke the pattern by blocking him as he sliced downward with both swords sounding a ringing CLANG.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, his face mere inches from her own, but separated by a tense mass of blades.

"Really?" he asked between clenched teeth. There was no way she could win in a battle of strength. The blades lowed another inch towards her and she readjusted her feet for better leverage.

With a twist and a pull, she caught both his blades in her hooks, locking them together. She grinned at him as he swore under his breath, then had to release him to avoid the kick he aimed at her chest.

They fell apart and dropped back into their low starting stances.

They came together, clashed, spun around, and parted again and again. They met each other stroke for stroke. He would swing and she would block and she would swing and he would block. Every step of ground one lost was reclaimed within moments. Their moves were so synchronized they may have been choreographed. Their feet moved perfectly together in a rhythm that only they knew. Step step step pause. Step pause. Step pause. Step step step pause. Together and apart, together and apart.

She hooked both his blades and spun in an attempt to break his hold, but instead he was spun around as well. They twirled together a few times, her dress flaring out to a scandalous height. Then he managed to slip free and come at her again. He was so close that she blocked him with the blades on her sword hilts. She aimed a kick at his knee, which he jumped over and they separated yet again.

She ran towards him, jumping into the air and kicking him twice. He blocked both kicks with his forearms, but was still pushed back. As she continued towards him, he threw his swords out to either side and spit a stream of fire at her. She spun her tiger hooks so quickly that they were no longer visible and dispersed the flames. When he stopped his onslaught, she appeared in front of him, one hook an inch from his chest, the other thrown out behind her.

She grinned at him. "Resorting to fire bending means I win."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes."

"Hmmm."

He was stopped from doing anything overly affectionate by the applause that broke out behind him. Katara, Sokka, and Aang all looked thoroughly impressed and had all taken seats on a rock outcropping. They all looked fairly comfortable so there was no telling how long they'd been there.

Not that he'd admit that he didn't know. He was supposed to be teaching Jin about being mindful of your surroundings and things like that.

"It's like you're fire bending" Aang said.

"He did fire bend. That's why he lost."

"No, no. _You're_ fire bending. Your stance and moves and breath control, they're all from the fundamentals of fire bending." Aang looked thoroughly impressed.

Jin blinked at him, then turned to Zuko. "Seriously?"

"What else was I supposed to teach you?"

"You didn't think it'd be suspicious to have such a distinctive style while fighting the Fire Nation in Ba Sing Se?"

He rubbed the back of his head and avoided her eyes by looking out at the vista. "I didn't think anyone would notice."

Jin rolled her eyes. Sokka grabbed up his sword and yelled that he was playing winner. They didn't get very far in their mock battle as Toph burst in with an explosion of flying limestone and a shout of "Rock like!"

* * *

She didn't know how the topic came up. When she sat down for dinner they were already in the middle of the discussion.

It boiled down to this: wouldn't it be great fun to learn fire bending from the original source? Of course this was impossible, but everyone seemed enthusiastic anyway. Toph told whimsical stories about learning earth bending and other life lessons from a family of badger-moles. Zuko talked about the Sun Warrior civilization that wasn't very far away. Aang became more and more excited as the evening progressed and began prodding Aapa, asking for a lesson.

That's how Zuko and Aang went on a field trip to find dragons.

They had a crazy idea and they left. He kissed her goodbye the next morning, his smile shining like the sun, and then they were gone.

It was very strange to be without him. She was irritated that he had left without her and that he hadn't really asked her about it. But this irritation was ridiculous. He didn't need her permission to do anything. She had Sokka and the others, but they seemed unsure of how to spend their free time as well. What did you do when your job was to train the Avatar and he wasn't around?

Apparently, you wonder the Air Temple looking for ancient secrets. If Zuko could go explore a lost civilization, then she could too.

Sokka grabbed some chalk and parchment and Jin made a torch and they set out to map the far reaches of the air temple.

"What do you think we'll find?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Some murals. Maybe some statues. Some fire bender skeletons."

"Don't be gross."

"I'm not. They're probably around here somewhere."

"What should we do if we find them?"

"Get rid of them before Aang sees."

"Get rid of them?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. She didn't like where this was headed.

"Yeah. We can just push them off the mountain." He gave a demonstrative hand gesture.

"You can't just throw them off a cliff. They're people. Their remands should be treated with respect."

"Are you serious? They killed everyone here!"

"They're still people."

He sighed and shook his head.

She considered what to do in the terrible situation where they found a pile of corpses. "We could still lay them to rest before Aang gets back. The Fire Nation cremates their dead."

"Eww."

"What does the Water tribe do?"

"Put them in a boat and push them out to sea."

"We burry them in the Earth Kingdom."

"Fascinating." He said sarcastically. "And why is it so dark in here? How were the Air Nomads supposed to see in this hallway? Are there holders for torches or something?"

Air Nomad illumination remained a mystery as they continued down the dark corridor. There weren't any branches or turns that they could see. It was just a straight shot leading into the heart of the cliff. Eventually the tunnel ended in an ornately carved door that opened easily.

"Woah" Sokka murmured, "This must be that echo place that Aang was talking about."

They peered into a round room with a high domed ceiling. A large hole in the wall near the top allowed a ray of light to be thrown onto a patch of floor that was littered with fallen rock and debris. Vine like plants were creeping in and they could hear the sound of bird song.

"Do you think it still works with that hole?" she whispered.

"Only one way to find out." Sokka took a step inside but Jin grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Wait. If it echoes all day then we need to make sure we say the right thing."

"Why?"

"What if Haru finds it and it's echoing something embarrassing."

"I wouldn't say something embarrassing."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Hey!" He slapped a hand over his mouth to stop his own shout, then glanced into the echo chamber to ensure that it remained silent.

"Just think before you speak."

"Don't worry. I've got just the thing." He grinned and pulled away from her, taking up a position in the middle of the room and looking very pleased with himself.

"SOKKA IS THE GREATEST."

They waited.

There was no echo. The smile slipped from Sokka's face.

"I guess it doesn't really work anymore" he said, scratching his head in a disappointed sort of way.

"Hmmm."

Sokka drew the room on his map and they continued to the next pagoda. The main feature of the tower was a twenty foot high door that Sokka said would lead to the Air Temple Sanctuary.

"How do we open it?"

"Aang used air bending."

"So we'll have to wait for him to come back."

Sokka's eyes lit up. "Maybe not!" He ran up to the door and buried his face in one of the horns that was designed to catch a stream of air. He began blowing and huffing into the apparatus, making wet raspberry noises.

"I don't think that's going to work."

He pulled his face back enough to address her. "You get the other one."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Come on." He resumed his huffing.

She approached slowly and pressed her face into the horn. The stone was cold and slightly damp, as if covered in dew. It smelled like a newly opened cave or an attic that hadn't been visited in a year. It reminded her of a story that her mother had once told her of a man climbing a mountain to whisper a secret into a crevice.

Their endeavor to open the door was fruitless. The temple felt more lifeless and abandoned with every unsolvable puzzle, every collapsed wall, and every headless statue.

She made Sokka make notes of the locations of the expansive murals. He grumbled about useless information ruining his map as he scribbled a small note. "Picture of some sky bison." "Picture of a tree." "Picture of ugly woman." Jin rolled her eyes.

Two pagodas later, they found the library. After shoving the large door open, they both stood in awe, gaping at the huge room. It had three tiers connected by stone stair cases that had at one time been grand. The roof was open to allow in light and they could easily see the underside of the cliff face over their heads. Nature had encroached on this area too, but it wasn't clear as to how much of the overgrowth was unintentional. A tree grew out of one of the bookshelves, its roots entrapping an overturned pile of scrolls. Some of the shelves had collapsed from decay, freeing several volumes that had also deteriorated.

They stayed there until well after dark, finding undamaged volumes and reading. They were silent except for the occasional soft call to draw attention to something in a book or some new area of the library. It was the first place that felt useable, that didn't feel completely depressing. Something had been preserved here.

They were there again the next morning. They sat back to back, Sokka reading an Air Nomad history, Jin engrossed in an epic poem. It was the story of a young woman who had to choose between the love of the determined prince or a life of piety and social service. "Friend, equal to the goddess of fortune, whence this grief? Have you no longer any consideration for the city's inhabitants, both wise and mad? For girls like us, the life you wish to lead is a culpable breaking of custom." As it was an Air Nomad scroll, she of course chose the life of asceticism. Jin couldn't help but question the girl's choice.

She caught herself entertaining such thoughts and immediately pushed them away. It was just the romantic in her looking for a happy fairy-tale ending in an entertaining fiction. Instead this story was a cautionary tale against indulgence. She found that she wasn't in the mood for a lecture and set the scroll aside before reaching for something different.

"It's nice to get away from everyone" Sokka announced suddenly.

"You want me to leave?"

"Nah."

He took a breath as if he was going to speak again, but he stopped himself.

Jin waited for him to continue for a moment then asked, "You alright?"

"Yeah" he sighed.

"Really?"

"No."

They fell quiet again. Jin waited for him to say more, but after a minute he turned a page in his book and Jin settled into her reading, leaning against his back a bit more in a way that she hoped was comforting without being overbearing.

They didn't speak again until mid afternoon, when she felt him sit up straighter and ask, "Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"Sounded like Aapa."

She turned to face him and they locked eyes for a moment before they jumped up and ran back to camp. They reached the fountain just as the two boys slipped off the bison.

"Jin!" Lee wore the most ridiculous grin she had ever seen. He pushed past the crowd that had formed around them and snatched her up into a hug, lifting her clear off the ground. As soon as her feet hit the ground he was kissing her fiercely. It was startling. He very rarely showed affection in public. It only happened when he was really distracted.

He had missed her. That was awesome. It made her heart beat slightly faster and made her wish that they were somewhere a little more private.

He pulled back and grinned at her. "It was amazing! We saw dragons. Dragons, Jin! They're not all dead, they're just in hiding, and my uncle knows about them. We learned this ancient fire bending form and I held the first fire in my hand and the masters judged us and it was so great."

They grinned stupidly at each other. She was glad he was back with her (Maybe she had been a little lonely without him), and he was safe (maybe she had been a little worried after all), and he had a good trip (that had him sporting that rare smile that made him look oh so handsome) and was happy to see her (which was always flattering). His mood was contagious. He pulled her into another hug.

"Come on. I need to tell you everything." He swept her back to his room to talk enthusiastically about the dragons and greet her again out of the sight of prying eyes. It was wonderful.

* * *

Jin sighed contentedly and trembled through her blissful aftershocks, as Lee ran a hand along her side and kissed her shoulder.

"You're beautiful."

"Hmmm."

She was so very happy.

"I love you."

"Mmm."

Spirits, she loved him so much.

"Marry me."

Her eyes snapped open.

"What?"

He propped himself up so he could look in her eyes. "Marry me?"

"You can't ask me like this."

"Like what?"

"While we're having sex."

"Sorry. I thought we were done" he purred and nipped at her earlobe.

She shoved him off. "You can't ask me now. You're not thinking straight. This isn't how it's done."

"I didn't think you'd care about a romantic proposal."

She closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair. "I don't care. Just … don't ask me right now."

"Alright." He reached for his shirt. "We can go find some dinner and then I'll ask again."

"No."

"Tomorrow?"

"No!"

He paused and looked down at her, confused. She threw her forearm over her eyes so that she wouldn't have to look at him. "I can't marry you, Zuko."

He tried not to act as though he'd been punched. He tried to contain the sudden anger and humiliation he felt. Not only was she rejecting him, but she called him 'Zuko'. He took several calming breaths before speaking, but the words still came out with a harsh edge. "Why is that?"

She suddenly felt very vulnerable. He was on top of her, and she was naked, and he was angry. She slowly looked up to meet his eyes. They were full of way too much emotion, but she met them anyway. She owed him that.

"I can't be Fire Lady."


	21. Sokka’s Field trip

**Chapter 21: Sokka's Field trip**

Jin and Zuko pretended that things were fine. They pretended that there wasn't any tension in the air. They still spoke to one another. They sat next to each other during meals. She even went to sleep next to him every night. She laughed with the group and he drilled Aang with renewed intensity.

But things were different. He was more aloof than usual. There was a coldness to his eyes and a clipped tone to his voice. It was as if he had re-erected the walls around his heart that she had worked so hard to crumble. She tread carefully around him, not wanting to spark his wrath. The forced formality between them was bizarre.

She guessed that she couldn't really blame him. Everything had been going so well. He was helping the Avatar to bring down his father and end the war. He had seen living dragons and held a piece of the first fire in his hands. He was going to be Fire Lord and usher in a new era of peace with Jin at his side. He had been practically giddy thinking about his new, sunny future. They weren't just going to survive this; they were going to come out on top.

And she had ruined it all. She burst his bubble and made him realize that maybe things weren't going to work out exactly as he had hoped.

She felt terrible about it. She didn't like to see him pained, and she hated that she was the cause of that pain. But that didn't change her answer. It just wasn't going to work out.

She took up sparing with Sokka and Toph instead of Zuko because part of her was worried that they would get too caught up in it and someone would get hurt.

She knew things had gone horribly wrong when she realized that she was referring to him as 'Zuko' in her head.

"Something's up with Sokka" he said. She looked up to see that he wasn't looking at her, but off towards where Sokka was staring at the night's selection of fruits and berries as if they had offended him.

"He might just be hungry," she joked.

"No. Something's off… Do you know what it is?" He looked at her for the first time and she covered her flinch by averting her eyes towards the brooding warrior.

"I have a guess."

"I think he's going to try to take Appa to go on some stupid quest or something."

"Well, it's your job to protect Appa." She smiled. He didn't.

"I'm going to find out what he's up to." She nodded. "I might be gone for a few days." Yeah, she saw that one coming.

She met his gaze and tried to convey everything she was feeling with one look. She tried to read his mind as if what he was thinking would be written in his gaze.

His eyes were flat and gave away nothing. She sighed.

"Be safe."

"I will." He heaved himself to his feet and let out a deep breath before walking away.

"Lee?" He paused and she found herself hugging him, trying to get a piece of him back, trying to tell him that she was sorry. He kissed her forehead and disappeared.

* * *

She lay out on the rim of the large fountain in a splash of sunlight, reading a scroll that she had taken from the library.

"Sup, Rebel Rebel?" Toph plopped down on the ground next to the fountain, while Katara took a seat near Jin's head.

"Not a lot. How are you?"

"Bored. Snoozles and Sparky ditched me. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Train Aang?"

"Pft."

"Want me to read to you?"

"Eww."

"You could challenge Haru to an earth bending fight."

"Already done it."

Jin gave up her attempt to provide useful suggestions. "We could get pedicures and braid each other's hair."

"You two have fun with that."

Jin smirked and went back to her reading. She didn't even find her place again before Katara began "So…" then trailed off. Jin looked up to see her upside-down profile.

Toph sighed irritated and got to the point. "We want to know what you and Sparky are fighting about."

"We're not fighting."

"Then why'd he run off to get away from you?" Katara asked.

"He did not."

The water bender looked unconvinced.

"He just went off to have man time with Sokka."

"But they hate each other."

"No they don't."

"Will you just tell us what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. We're just having a disagreement."

Katara smirked. "Over what? Who's prettier? Or who loves who more?"

Jin dropped her scroll onto her stomach and propped herself up on an elbow to shoot Katara an annoyed look. "We are not that bad."

"Oh please," Toph scoffed, "You two are so lovey dovey that you're going to give Sugar Queen cavities."

"It makes it kind of obvious when something's wrong."

"Can't you just drop it and leave me alone?"

Toph smirked. "I think you mean _leaf_ me alone."

"No, I don't. And I'll remind you that I'm the only one around here who knows that joke in its entirety."

"Give the girl a gold star!"

"Toph," Katara sighed, "can't you be a little more understanding?"

"No."

Katara shook her head and turned to look down at Jin. "We want to help you. We really do. You can tell us anything. We're very good listeners."

"Well, Sugar Queen is. I'm just curious."

"Shut up, Toph!"

Jin fiddled with the edge of her scroll. "It's nothing really. It's just… sometimes he gets these ideas and he doesn't think them through. He doesn't think about the consequences. You know? Like when we were in Ba Sing Se he would run into situations with his swords swinging and he wouldn't think about what would happen if he was recognized or how he was going to get out. I would have to plan his missions extra carefully and arrange for special precautions so that he wouldn't do something really stupid. He just doesn't like it when I point out that his plans have flaws. He doesn't like being corrected and he doesn't like it when he's wrong and I'm right."

"Childish."

"Jerk."

"No, it's not like that… He's actually really sweet. He has a really lovely idea where we can be together. It's just that… it's going to cause all sorts of problems. I told him that and I hurt his feelings. Now he thinks that I just don't want to be with him."

"Idiot. Want me to talk to him?"

"Want me to knock him around some?"

"Thank you, but no. He'll get over it."

"And you're just going to wait for him to get over it?"

Jin shrugged and lifted her scroll again. "Yeah."

Katara huffed irritatedly. Why did Jin put up with Zuko? Why was she taking it in silence instead of yelling at him? Why didn't she want to bitch about it more? Katara hated it when people didn't tell her everything. It's not that she was a busy body. Really, it wasn't. It's just, how was she supposed to help and console them if they didn't talk to her? It was so frustrating.

She sighed, then a grin slowly spread across her face. "I know something that will cheer you up."

Jin looked up and raised an eyebrow.

* * *

The next thing Jin knew, she was standing at the top of a long winding hallway with a steep incline. Teo grinned up at her. "It winds through two pagodas and if you turn left at the last branch you'll go under a waterfall."

She peered down the hall, but it soon disappeared into a darkened turn. "So… how does it work?"

Teo grinned again then pulled Katara into his lap with a squeal and a giggle. He popped off his break and they went careening down the hall. They quickly disappeared and their thrilled cries died away.

"Alright. We're next." Toph stomped her foot and a panel of stone separated from the flooring. She hopped on board and The Duke ran a few feet, pushing them to gain speed before he hoped on himself. "Wooo!" The way they ground against the wall as they took the turn didn't do anything to ease her uncertainty.

Haru gave her a timid smile. "I guess it's our turn."

"Guess so."

He formed a fine looking luge and gestured politely for her to take a seat in the front. Haru was a sweet boy. He was attracted to her and embarrassed about it. She was used to having guys fancy her, and thought it was nice that he just stammered a lot instead of trying to come on to her all the time. She felt herself blush as he hoped into the sled and leaned his chest against her back and draped his arms over hers to steer.

She forgot about him as they flew down the hallway. The wind whipped through her hair and she found herself laughing and leaning forward to gain speed. They circled around the top levels of the pagoda in increasingly large spirals. Light strobed into the hallway at intervals through high windows and ruined walls, adding to her dizziness. They abruptly shot out onto a straight away that led to the next tower. For several seconds, they were suspended over the chasm, with nothing but clouds and the flimsy bridge below them. Before she could register her fear, they were back inside, zigzagging through a dark, low ceilinged tunnel. They began to spiral again, picking forks in the hallway as they came to them. Left, right, right, left. The incline finally began to even out and the hallway opened into the main courtyard of the pagoda, where a large mosaic of trees in a fierce wind took up the majority of the curved wall. They slid to a stop a few feet from Toph and The Duke.

"What do you think? Great huh?"

Jin couldn't get rid of her grin. "Yeah."

They spent the rest of the day street luging. She rode once with Toph, but it was absolutely terrifying and she decided not to do it ever again. Riding with Teo was more fun that riding with Haru (who wanted to ride with her as often as possible), and riding with Haru was way more fun than riding with The Duke (who enjoyed running into things). However, the most fun was the last run when she went solo.

Aang and Momo found them around lunch and he and Toph together brought sledding to a level of ridiculousness that she could have never anticipated. Their maniacal laughter reverberated around the whole temple, as did the explosions of walls to make room for new routes.

Weren't they supposed to be preserving the Air Temple, instead of knocking down walls and scraping stone sleds across the antique tile floors? She asked Haru about it and he just shrugged. "Aang's having fun and it's his house." Haru seemed just to go with the flow without having any of his own opinions. She wondered if he was just hesitant to speak his mind for fear of offending anyone. Maybe if she got to know him better, he would open up more.

But then again, that opening up might involve hitting on her, and she didn't really want that.

She had just finished her solo slide, which went shockingly well, and came to rest in the open courtyard. Toph and Aang's sleigh finished right behind her, and was only stopped by crashing into her own sled. The impact sent them sprawling onto the ground in a laughing heap. Toph didn't feel any need to remove herself from atop Jin and Aang decided that this was as good a time as any to tickle them both. The Duke jumped on top of the pile, driving the air from her lungs and causing her laughter to pause for a moment.

Then she saw it. Through eyes blurry with tears of laughter and the stinging wind in her face, she first viewed the great airship. She had thought that her war balloon was impressive, but it was nothing in comparison to the monstrosity before her. The sight silenced her better than the Duke's pile drive.

Toph stiffened above her, sensing the sudden dread in her companions. "What is it?" The rest of the group sat still as statues watching the ship come steadily closer.

"The Fire Nation" Katara spat.

Her voice seemed to startle Jin into motion. "Hide" she hissed and dragged Toph with her behind a pillar. Teo, Haru, and The Duke managed to race back inside the temple to peer out from behind sturdy walls. Aang and Katara were pressed against the nearest column. Katara held a single finger to her lips to indicate that they should be silent. As if that wasn't obvious.

She pulled a strand of water out of her flask and held it ready, still concealed behind the column. Aang clenched and unclenched his hand on his staff. Toph adjusted her position, still searching for the Fire Nation ship that she could not see. Jin wished she had her swords on her, but they were back in her room. She formed a fist with one hand and tightened her hold on Toph's shoulder with the other.

The airship drew closer, until with a hiss of steam it came to a stop, floating barely ten feet away from where she hid. A moment later, gears began to clack and bang and the side of the ship began to open slowly to reveal dark figures, still obscured by steam from the ship.

Katara hazarded a glance around the column, blinked twice, and dropped her defensive stance.

"Sokka?"

"Hey guys!"

Jin's heart was racing far too fast. She felt she might drop from relief. Toph scoffed and walked toward the ramp.

"What are you doing in this thing?" Katara chided, already in scolding mode.

Jin caught sight of Lee just behind Sokka, and grinned. "And what happened to my war balloon?"

"I traded it in for a better model," he said as he stepped forward. The group turned their attention away from them, not wanting to see some mushy welcome.

"It was mine."

"You couldn't fly it very well."

"Lies." She wrapped her arms around his neck, and a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.

"You thought we were the Fire Nation coming to kill you."

"Aren't you?" she cooed.

His kernel of a smile grew fractionally, and then slipped away completely as if he had just remembered their disagreement. His hand stopped drawing unconscious circles on her lower back. "It's been a long trip. I'm going to go lie down."

Behind him, Sokka was saying something stupid and Katara was squealing at the return of her father.

"Alright."

He gave her a chaste kiss, and slipped away quickly, unnoticed by anyone during the happy reunion.

Sokka interrupted her troubled thoughts as she watched Lee retreat. "Oh Suki, you haven't met Jin!" His arm wrapped tightly around her neck and pulled her into a half hug/ half choke. "This is Jin. Jin, this is Suki." Jin looked over to see that Sokka's other arm was wrapped around an unknown girl's neck. The girl smiled and nodded as much as she could in the awkward hug, a blush rising in her cheeks.

Sokka dragged them off and sat them both on the rim of the fountain. He stood in front of them and told the exciting story of his adventure with Zuko, complete with sound effects, hand gestures, impersonations, and demonstrations. Suki watched with mild amusement and perhaps a hint of pride.

Toph came and sat on Jin's other side, and made a big show of being irritated. She was ticked that she hadn't been invited along on their adventure, and that Sokka had brought home an old girlfriend, and that they hadn't brought back any food. Sokka didn't notice her attitude at all.

"So we took Zuko's war balloon-"

"My war balloon."

"-Your war balloon and went to the highest security Fire Nation prison there is. It's in a volcano in the middle of a boiling lake. Can you imagine? The water is boiling! Like ssssssss. It's ridiculous……. And there was Suki! So I went in her cell and was like '_hey baby, remember me_?'……… Then Zuko got himself thrown in the cooler."

"The what?" Jin interrupted.

"The cooler. They throw fire benders in there when they break the rules."

"What does it do?"

"It's cold."

"Was he ok?"

"Yeah, he was fine. He fire bent to keep himself warm." Sokka was perturbed that he kept being interrupted. Wasn't she on the edge of her seat with excitement? How could she interrupt like that?

"Then what's the point of the cooler if they can just keep themselves warm in there?"

That stopped him. "Uh… huh… I'm not sure actually… Maybe it's just uncomfortable?" He looked to Suki for confirmation, but she just shrugged. He decided that this confusion was just a minor detail and he shouldn't let it destroy his thrilling tale. "Anyway! ……. So then Suki took the warden hostage. She was like Bam! Pow! Hi ya! ……… And we were on the gondola, getting away when all of a sudden Azula shows up."

"Lee's sister?"

"Yeah. And her friends. And she can _fly_. She's like whoooosh and fire comes out of her feet and she shoots into the air. And that pink girl, she just ran right up the cable. It was crazy! So we're fighting them, and me and Zuko are like whooom, slash slash, whoom. And Suki's all bam bam bam. We were totally winning. But then they started to cut the cable and we were going to fall in the lake. The _boiling_ lake! So Azula and the pink girl, they escaped and they were going to leave us to die in the lake. But then their third friend, that gloomy girl, she starts fighting with all the guards down on the ground, and the gondola starts moving again."

"She helped you escape?"

"Yeah! Azula was _so mad_. We could hear her yelling. It was awesome."

Jin zoned out a bit as he went on to describe the royal airship in detail, and then started the story again as Teo, Haru, and The Duke sat down to listen. Jin took the opportunity to slip away and find Lee.

She knew he was awake because he was lying on his side with his back to her. He never slept on his side – only on his back and occasionally sitting up in a chair.

She was proven right when he spoke. "I guess you heard what happened."

"I heard the Sokka version," she said, slipping into bed behind him. "I bet you will want to make a few revisions."

He snorted.

"… I heard you saw your sister."

He took a deep breath, and then rolled over to face her. His eyes were dark in the fading light. "She was going to let us die."

Jin lay still, encouraging him to continue.

He sighed. "She's my sister. But she's also a monster. I just … it's hard."

She placed a comforting hand on his arm. "I'm sorry."

He was quiet for a time, lost in thought and staring up at the ceiling.

"One of her friends helped you. That's nice, right?"

He let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah. _Nice_."

The sarcasm wasn't lost on her and she pushed herself up on an elbow to better search his face. He tried not to look at her for a time, but he eventually gave in. As soon as their eyes locked, she could see the pain and confusion and then everything started spilling out.

"What was she thinking? I haven't seen her in three years. Then she comes into my cell and starts yelling at me for leaving her. _Leaving her_! I was banished it wasn't exactly a choice!" He sat up in agitation. "And we were just kids. I didn't even realize that she felt that way. And then, then she starts fighting off those guards, helping us escape. What on earth was she thinking? Azula's going to kill her.

"And _Azula_, oh Agni, Azula! I could hear her screaming. She wasn't just angry, she was in pain. Her best friend betrayed her. After mom left her and I left her and now Mai and Ty Lee. She doesn't have anyone left. Just dad. He's the only one she has to guide her and he's a monster. He's just using her and someday he'll hurt her too.

"All she could do was make people fear her and now she can't even do that. All that's left is for dad to betray her and it'll all be over for her. She'll be alone and scared and dangerous. She'll just turn even more evil if she doesn't have anyone to trust, anyone to care about. The way she was screaming…" He shook his head.

"She's crazy. Azula's crazy and I don't know if I should even care. I shouldn't be worried about the enemy."

He rested his arms across his knees and stared unseeing at the far wall. Jin watched him for a moment, then ran a soothing hand along his back and scooted towards him. She reached out to cup his cheek in her hand and turn his face towards her. "She's your sister. You can't help but care."

He stared at her a moment, as though trying to see if she was lying, trying to convince himself that it was true. He leaned forward and kissed her.

It couldn't be labeled as make-up sex. Although things eased between them afterwards, Jin believed that it was really just time that brought acceptance. No, it was more like trying to seek comfort in the closeness of another person. It was like he was trying to lose himself and forget everything that had happened. It was like he was trying to grab onto any little happiness he could.

* * *

They took to sleeping in a group around the fountain. Katara wanted to be near her father, to know he was near and breathing and safe. Sokka wanted to be near Suki without getting a lecture from his dad.

Jin didn't really mind. Lee kept her warm with his bending and Toph kept her warm by rolling next to her then on top of her in the night. Chit Sang snored, but it reminded her of a time long ago when she would wake up frightened in the night and fall back asleep to the sound of her brother's loud, steady breaths.

It was just before daybreak, and she could feel Lee begin to stir beside her and the birds chirping in the quiet dawn. She snuggled closer to her companions, attempting to sleep for a few more minutes.

But her plans were interrupted abruptly by the sound of an explosion above and the quaking of the temple.

She sat up to see three Fire Nation airships rising out of the fog, like malevolent serpents. Explosions burst around them and rubble began to fall. Her view of the ships was obstructed as Aang swung his staff and closed the shutters around the fountain. She didn't feel any safer now that she couldn't see the enemy, and she was doubtful that the shutters could withstand too many direct blasts.

With one movement, Toph formed a tunnel in the cliff face, allowing them a path to escape, and Jin chased after the group.

"What are you doing?"

"Go ahead, I'll hold them off. I think this is a family visit."

Lee. She spun to see him dash out of the broken temple.

"Lee!" She screamed, and tried to run after him, but Sokka was holding her back.

"No, let him go. We have to get out of here. He'll be alright."

She struggled against his hold. "Lee!" An explosion hit right where he had been running and Jin screamed, Sokka still holding her back.

As the smoke cleared she saw him again. Still alive. Standing tall. Shouting to a woman on an airship, who struck him with a burst of blue flame and blew him backwards off his feet.

Things were happening around her, but she had developed tunnel vision. All she could see was Lee, up again now and running full force towards the edge of the temple. She watched in horror as he took a flying leap, sending several shots at his attacker, then falling into the abyss.

She couldn't breathe. No one else had seen it as they were sorting out their own escape. Sokka was still holding her back, his fingers clenching painfully into her arms, his smell of sleep-sweat and morning breath mixing with the chalky rubble smell and the sweet, wet morning air. She was vaguely aware that someone was taking her airship, but she didn't care. It wasn't really hers. It was Lee's and Lee had fallen.

Sokka was pulling her into Aapa's saddle and the next thing she knew, they were airborne. She had never ridden on Aapa before, but she was too distracted by the fireballs and the sickening turns and climbs to enjoy her first flight. She clutched the side of the saddle with one hand and Sokka's arm with the other. She pressed her eyes closed until Suki grabbed her shoulder and pointed.

Another airship was rising out of the mist, and on top of it stood Lee. He had never before looked so awe-inspiring.

She muffled a gasp. Why was she suddenly so worried about him? He'd been in dangerous places before. Hell, she'd sent him to dangerous places before.

But they had just made up. She had just got him back. At least she thought she had. She got him back and then he went and jumped off a cliff.

Just like how yesterday he'd been so worried about his sister, and now he was fighting with her on top of an airship, sending blow after blow at her, not pulling any punches.

It was confusing and frightening how quickly he could change his mind about things. He could forget everything and just fight. He wouldn't think about the consequences. He wouldn't think about all the confusion in his life. He would just fight.

It made him unpredictable. It made her feel like she didn't know him that well after all.

He was blown off the ship again and she pulled herself together as they dove to catch him. His hand grabbed hers and she and Katara pulled him into the saddle, where she immediately clutched the back of his shirt in an iron grip to keep him from leaping off anything else.

He didn't seem to notice her as he looked back over the edge of the saddle. Azula was still falling, her body spinning and flailing like a rag doll.

"She's not going to make it" he whispered, and she could see the same fear in his eyes that she had seen the previous day.

As they watched in silence, she ripped out her headpiece and propelled herself towards the cliff face with a blast of fire. She slid to a stop, her bronze Fire Nation insignia lodged in the rock, her hair wild, her grin feral.

"Of course she did" he growled, turning away.

There were always two sides to Lee. Part of him detested Azula and part of him loved his sister. Part of him was still angry at Jin for hurting him, while another part loved her and understood. She associated one part with Lee and one part with Zuko. It seemed that he could never feel both emotions simultaneously. He had to pick one and forget about the other, switching back and forth between these two extremes. If he didn't then the wealth of emotions would crush him.

Still unwilling to release her grip on him, she leaned against him slightly.

Neither Lee nor Zuko would ever be at peace.


	22. Ember Island

**Chapter 22: Ember Island**

Zuko had the brilliant idea of hiding out on an island paradise. Honestly, why had it taken them so long to come up with that idea?

Jin quickly discovered that she loved the beach. She loved sand. She loved how it slipped between her fingers and stuck to her feet. She loved how her footprints stayed for a while before the waves washed them away. She loved to see who could make the largest sand castle: her or Sokka. Sometimes they branched out into who could make the best sand castle, but neither of them was particularly skilled and the judgment was always subjective anyway.

She loved the water. She loved the salty taste in her mouth, and the way the waves pushed her over. Katara and Suki were attempting to teach her to swim. It wasn't going very well, but she was having a fantastic time anyway. Lee could lift her clear out of the water when she began to splutter and throw her over his shoulder to march her back to shore. She would fall on the beach laughing and her wet limbs would become coated in a fine layer of gray sand.

She loved the sun. It felt wonderful against her face and she would lie out in the sun for hours until Katara would yell at her about sun burn and sun sickness and the sun damaging her hair.

She liked sleeping in a bed again – a bed that had a mattress instead of a bed made of a slab of rock with a blanket and a pillow. And it was Lee's childhood bed. She had to admit that that was fun.

Lee would wake early and train Aang until lunch while the rest of the group snooped around his house. She and Katara found the family portraits and personal letters. She and Suki found the clothes and large collection of Fire Nation poetry. She and Sokka found the armor, a tsungi horn, a kuai ball, and a colony of moth-bats.

Toph was the undefeated champion of kuai ball. Or at least she was until Zuko explained the real rules. At that point Zuko became the champion of kuai ball and Toph shot him into the ocean with a well timed earth launch. As she spent her mornings sleeping late and practicing her sand bending, she trained Aang after a hardy lunch from the market.

At sundown Sokka would build a campfire on the beach. The group would survey his struggles without providing assistance as they watched Aang and Katara dance across the waves.

Under the stars, with the mingled sounds of waves and laughter, it was possible to forget about the war.

* * *

Jin rubbed a pink scar on Lee's shoulder. "What's this one from?"

"That's from Smellerbee. You knew that."

"Wow. She got you bad."

"Humpf."

"What about this one?" She poked a burn on his ribs.

"That's from when my ship exploded."

"Exploded?"

"Yeah. Some pirates set up a bunch of blasting jelly to get back at me."

"Pirates?" she asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yeah."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"It's true. You can ask Aang."

"Aang was there?"

"Well, no."

"Hmm."

"Fine. Think what you want."

"Aww, don't be mad" she cooed, tracing his jaw line.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"How'd you get this one?" he grabbed her knee, making her squeal, and rubbed a scar on her calf.

She laughed. "My brother had this great idea that we should catch a pig-sheep. I managed to get hold of it, but then it got spooked and ran off. It dragged me to the other side of the village."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It probably wouldn't have been as bad if I had just let go."

"Wait. It was running off and dragging you, and you hung on to it?"

"Yeah. I got it when my brother thought that I couldn't. I wasn't going to let go of that pig-sheep for anything."

"You're nuts."

"Yep."

"And this one?" He touched a mark on her forearm.

"Falling down stairs."

"It's a burn."

"And?"

It was his turn to be skeptical. "How do you burn yourself falling down stairs?"

"I'm talented."

"No, really."

She shrugged. "I fell onto a hot emu-horse shoe. See? You can kinda see the shape."

"But what was a hot emu-horse shoe doing at the bottom of the stairs?"

She shrugged again. "Let's go to the beach. I bet it's nice this late."

"You're changing the subject."

"And you're very clever." She kissed his cheek and slipped out of bed.

* * *

Sokka decided that they should go see a play. Jin would later refer to this as "Sokka's worst idea ever." And that was saying something.

First: they of course got it wrong, saying Zuko was head of the resistance. That was irritating, but she was used to it by now and already knew that that's what people thought. She let that one slide, cursing Hiro and Long Feng for the thousandth time.

Second: her doppelganger wore the most atrocious dress ever. They were obviously trying to make some point about how she was poor. Fine. They just didn't know how amazingly stylish she was.

Sometimes.

Ok. So she did look disheveled every now and then. That's ok. Everyone does.

Third: what was with Fake Zuko hitting on Fake Katara? Where the hell did that come from? Yeah, they were friends and, yeah, they were different genders and, yeah, they spent a lot of time alone together and, yeah, they were both hot and would probably complement each other very nicely…

She decided to end that train of thought before she got upset.

Finally there was "The Scene".

Fake Zuko's voice was carrying and his words were over pronounced. "Even though you're an Earth Kingdom peasant, Jin, I feel like I love you. You must have cast some spell on me."

"Haha!" Fake Jin crowed. "How right you are. And now that I'm pregnant with your child, you will have to marry me and I will become Fire Lady!"

The stage Zuko wailed, pressing the back of his hand to his eyes. "Our child, the future ruler of the Fire Nation, may be an earth bender."

Fake Jin cackled and rubbed her stomach. "He is! I can feel him kick!"

The crowd erupted in boos.

Jin could feel all the eyes of her friends on her back. Lee was gaping at the stage with his mouth hanging open and a pronounced flush etched across his face.

"Wait. You're not… Oh my God!"

"Shh, Sokka."

It was stifling. She was suffocating. The room was spinning. She needed air. She needed to throw up.

* * *

Lee found her on the beach, staring out at the water in the direction of Ba Sing Se. Her arms were wrapped tightly around herself as if she were cold, which she surely wasn't. The waves had caused her feet to sink into the sand up to the ankle. Even as he stood in front of her and pulled her into a tight embrace, she refused to meet his eyes.

"It's just a play" he murmured.

"It still hurts."

"Just ignore it. They don't have any idea what they're talking about." It was hard for him to tell her that, while he didn't believe it himself. She had left before the end when he had seen himself killed. Maybe if he kept reassuring her, the words would ring more true and he could reassure himself.

"They hated me, Lee."

"They hated me too."

"The audience in there was representative of your people. And they all think I'm a knocked-up, manipulative, ugly bitch with some kind of Earth Kingdom witchcraft."

"You're not ugly."

"And the other things?"

"Well, I hope you're not knocked up."

She sniffed. "I'm most certainly not."

He smiled against her hair. "But, you did set the Dai Li against the fire benders and you came into the tea shop every day to bother the hell out of me until I fell for you. That counts as manipulative. You are a bitch sometimes, but that's alright. And you do have some kind of Earth Kingdom witchcraft." He bent and kissed her neck.

"If your people hate you how are you going to be Fire Lord? If they hate me, then how can I be around you?"

"You think I care what they think?"

"You should. You need the people behind you. You need their support and you need their approval. If I'm near you, you won't have that."

"We'll win them over. We'll do it together."

"No, Lee. Don't you see?" She squeezed her eyes shut. "What if … what if your heir isn't a fire bender?" She lowered her head, ashamed to even be talking about such things. She didn't want to marry him and she didn't want to have his children. At least she thought she didn't. Not yet anyway. But it was the next step, and she really ought to think about it, even if it was just to convince herself of what a bad idea it would be.

He lifted her chin so she finally met his eyes. "Then I will still love it. And I will always love you."

"Damn it, Lee." She stepped back from him, pulling her feet out of the sand and shouting, "Don't you see that that's not enough? It doesn't matter what we want. Your country needs you!"

He shouted back, "Screw my country!"

"Don't ever say that again!" she screamed and slapped him so hard that his face was jerked to the side.

They stared at each other as the waves crashed around them. She covered her mouth with her hand in shock. Her palm was still warm from the impact against his cheek. His eyes were wide and bright and full of pain.

She had hit him. Oh, spirits help her. She was just like her father. Just like when she was playing tag by the forge and making too much noise. _I'll give you something to shout about._

The scar on her arm seemed to burn.

Heaven forgive her.

She swallowed and in a strained voice said, "I'm going back to the house. I need to think… I don't want to see you for a while."

She left him on the beach, sinking into the sand.

* * *

Zuko came back a little after midnight, having spent several hours sitting by the ocean.

As he headed up the stairs to where Jin was, someone caught hold of his arm. He looked down to see Suki with a determined look in her eyes. "Leave her alone."

"I wasn't going to-"

"Yes you were. She just needs to sleep it off. You can talk to her tomorrow."

He glared at her and ripped his arm from her grasp. He continued up the stairs without looking back. Suki sighed and decided not to stop him.

Jin was asleep in his bed. He sat next to her and brushed his fingers against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open and he smiled down at her.

"Hey."

"What do you want?"

"I have an idea and I want you to listen."

"I don't want to hear your crazy ideas." She rolled over to face away from him.

"I'm going to tell you anyway. Whether or not you listen is up to you."

"Humpf."

"I have two ideas and you can tell me which one you like best. First, when we win the war, I can abdicate the throne and give it over to my uncle or my next closest relative. I think I have a second cousin or something. Or I can just announce someone trustworthy as Fire Lord if my cousin turns out to be Mini Ozai. Then we can go back to Ba Sing Se and reclaim the tea shop or whatever else you want to do."

"That's stupid. You're working so hard to reclaim the Fire Nation and then you're just going to hand it over to someone you don't even know?"

"Fine. You might like my second plan better: I become Fire Lord and you become my concubine."

"What?" She sat up in bed and glared at him.

"It's a fairly common practice for Fire Lords to have concubines. It's also not unheard of for them to be from other nations. They have a very high standing in the court."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"No. And that way the people can get to know you and you can earn their love and respect by doing all the Fire Lady's duties amazingly well and maybe setting up some welfare programs: hospitals or parks or festivals or teaching kids to read. We can be together, you win over the people and do helpful things like you like doing, and - when they all love you - we get married."

"Concubine."

"Yes. Did you hear the rest of it?"

"No. I was stuck on Concubine."

"It's a good idea, Jin."

"It's insulting."

"I insult you all the time. You usually get over it."

She stared at him, trying to figure him out like some sort of puzzle. "How many other concubines will you have?"

"None."

"And what if I don't win over the people?"

"That's not possible."

"And what if you go and get married while I'm your concubine?"

"That's not going to happen."

"Don't princes get married for all sorts of political reasons? You'd miss out on that."

"I can cope."

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

He pushed her further, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "Just think of it as a very long engagement. Or as a Fire Lady trial run."

"What about the heir problem?"

"He'll probably be a fire bender."

"You're relying on 'probably'?"

"Yes."

"Idiot."

He looked into her face. She never used to frown this much. She used to be so carefree and collected. That was before the occupation. Before she got involved in everything. He couldn't help but think that this was somehow all his fault.

"Are you alright?"

She thought about lying. Yes, I'm great. Go to sleep. But he was so sincere.

"I hit you and you ask me to marry you again."

"Don't slap me anymore and I won't ask again."

"I'm serious."

He hung his head to avoid her eyes. "Yeah. I know."

They sat in silence for a time, before he pulled her close. "Are you going to be ok?"

"… I don't know."

He pressed her closer and rubbed soothing patterns on her back. "No matter what happens, we'll work through it."

Her thin frame, which had once inspired such confidence, shook in his arms.


	23. The Order of the White Lotus

**Chapter 23: The Order of the White Lotus**

Jin got her first drink before anyone else made it inside the shady Earth Kingdom bar. The bartender winked at her and slid her a mug full of something strong. She really didn't care about the annoying wanting look in his eyes. She needed a drink too much after this terrible day.

She couldn't really blame Aang for his hesitancy to take a life. After all, only a few months ago she had emptied her stomach into the middle of an upper ring street at the mere sight of death. She also knew from experience that Lee's pep talks about becoming a murderer were slightly less than helpful.

Aang's actions today reminded her of just how much she had changed. She wasn't sure if this change within her was for the better, or if she would wish such a terrible power into the hands of a boy so young. But it had to be done.

Didn't it?

Yes. It did.

She sighed. Aang was just a little kid. Putting that much pressure on him was unfair. Maybe they should have been a little more understanding. Maybe their hearts were just too cold to accept the sweet ideas to which Aang still clung. They were too jaded. They were too callous.

She couldn't really blame him for running away. She certainly wouldn't have disappeared to allow her city to be burnt to the ground. But she couldn't bring herself to be mad at him.

When none of them had been successful finding Aang, the group (of course) had turned to Lee. He was stunned to realize that they wanted him - they needed him - to guide them. He really shouldn't have been surprised; he was a solid leader and he had proved himself to the group several times over.

As they had flown towards the Earth Kingdom, she could make out something else in his eyes: pride. His years of chasing the Avatar were coming in handy. And this group thought that he had done a good job of tracking him, something that he never believed himself. They had accepted him enough to look back on the past with an unbiased eye.

Jin was proud of him too.

She was proud of him until he brought them to a seedy Earth Kingdom bar. Then she was just confused. Was this really the time to be drinking themselves silly?

Yes. Yes it was.

Lee grabbed her arm, gave her an irritated look, and pulled her away from the bar. Huh, maybe they weren't there to get toasted. That made a bit of sense. If they were going to have one last party, she could think of much better places to have it.

Sokka had followed her lead and came up to her with another drink as they approached a far table. "Cheers." They clinked cups and chugged. She loved Sokka. Had she told him that lately?

The woman in the back raised an eyebrow at them. "Oh great. It's Prince Pouty. Where's your creepy grandpa?"

Jin snorted. Creepy grandpa. Tee Hee!

Lee ignored her. The bounty hunter surveyed the group and smirked. "I see you worked things out with your girlfriend."

Lee gave his typical response, this time in stereo with Katara, and Jin inspected the pair with squinted eyes. She whispered to Sokka – or at least she intended to whisper, "You know, I still don't see it."

"I know. Right? What's wrong with people?"

"I don't know. She's way too good for him."

Sokka nodded knowingly and when they returned their attention back to the proceedings, Lee looked exasperated, Katara looked horrified, and Jun looked amused.

"Are you drunk already?" Lee snapped.

"No. I'm being very serious. Entirely sober." Sokka nodded along enthusiastically. Lee rolled his eyes, took her mug away from her, and placed a steadying hand on her elbow. "I just think you two would make a terrible couple" she continued as Sokka nodded again. "You would just fight all the time."

"_We_ fight all the time!"

"But she wouldn't put up with your crap."

"Why are we talking about this right now?"

Jin shrugged. "She brought it up." She pointed at Jun who raised her glass in a toast.

"Arg!"

"You should be nicer to your girlfriend or she'll leave you like the last one." This time Jun raised her glass to Katara, who was turning a brighter shade of red every moment. Jin giggled.

"This is serious!" Lee shouted.

Jin blinked at him. "I know."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"You're giggling while the whole world is about to end."

"It's not the worst way to go down."

Her third drink was after they discovered that Aang was _gone_. Suki and Toph joined in this time in a communal drink-and-mope while Lee dug through his bag, already working on a contingency plan.

"Hey!" Jin said, "You're twelve."

"And you, Lightweight, are observant," Toph countered.

"No. I mean you shouldn't be drinking."

She shrugged. "Why not? The world's gonna end tomorrow afternoon."

Alright. She had to give her that one.

That's when Lee appeared holding a sandal.

Jin's face lit up. "Mushi's shoe! Oh! He'll know exactly what to do."

Lee frowned at her. "You recognize his sandal?"

She ignored him. "This is perfect! It's almost poetic that you and Mushi are going to be the ones to take that bastard down."

"Sokka, what is this stuff she's been drinking?"

He shrugged. "Something awesome."

"It's pretty good" Suki said, taking a delicate sip.

"Wait a second" Sokka said a bit too loudly. "We're getting off track. You saved your Uncle's sweaty sandal?"

"I think it's kinda sweet" Suki sighed.

"Or kinda weird" Toph put in.

"Hey! Jin's the one that packed it."

Jin rolled her eyes. "Only because I know you like to snuggle with it."

"I do not!"

"I thought you'd want something to remember him by."

"And a picture just wouldn't do?"

"Hey. That sandal's gonna save all of us, so quit complaining."

Their celebratory fourth round was very quick as they really were in a bit of a hurry. Katara joined them at last as she wasn't prudish enough to scorn a drink to success. Lee took Toph's drink away from her to down it himself, causing Toph to punch Sokka and take his drink. Suki was sweet enough to let the spluttering boy share hers.

Jin wasn't drunk enough to miss the appreciative twitch to Lee's mouth as he looked at her.

* * *

The wind on Aapa's back sobered her up rather quickly. Or maybe it was the fact that they were heading towards Ba Sing Se, with its crumbled wall and its thousands of inhabitants who would soon be burning. Or maybe it was the realization that they were going to have to fight like crazy for their survival, and they may very well not live to see another sun set.

She slipped out of the saddle to take a seat on Aapa's head just behind Lee. Her arms wrapped around his chest and her cheek rested against his shoulder.

Every muscle in her body was singing with tension. Someone (Genki? Smellerbee?) once told her that the eerie calm before the battle was the worst part. She wasn't sure if that was true, but she recognized that it was pretty bad.

Being near Lee made it slightly better. He squeezed her hand and raised his body temperature slightly to keep her warm, to calm her ever so slightly. They didn't need to speak. They both knew what they would say. 'The stars are beautiful. Too bad we'll never see them again.' 'It will all be alright.' 'Please stay safe and come home alive.' 'I love you so very much.'

Below them the dark figure of Jun and her shirshu raced across the landscape, unheeded by any natural obstacle. The outer wall of Ba Sing Se grew steadily closer and larger, until it towered over them. Lee squeezed her hand one last time before hopping off the bison.

It was in that moment of uncertainty and tension when they stood at the foot of the dark, intimidating wall that had once been impenetrable that they found help from the least likely source. It was then that Mushi's pai sho friends were finally given a name: the Order of the White Lotus. She could have laughed at the lunacy of it. She could have laughed hysterically just to release some of her pent up emotions.

* * *

Late that night she sat alone by the fire in the middle of camp, unable to sleep. She knew that she should probably be resting up for the battle tomorrow, but she found staring at the hypnotic flames much more calming than gazing up at her dark tent ceiling. She would never think that again.

She heard a shuffling noise and turned around to see one of the White Lotus members. He hobbled towards her, gave her a grin that revealed several uneven teeth, and lowered himself slowly and stiffly down next to her. She reached up to assist him, but he waved her off, and finally made it to the ground with a grunt. They sat together for a while, both lost in the sound of the crackling timber and their thoughts of what was to come.

"I've heard a lot about you, Jin of the Jasmine Dragon."

She blinked, unsure where to start with that statement. "My clan name is Ng."

He snorted and waved his hand again.

"Who told you about me?"

"Hyun Su."

"You know Hyun Su?"

"All old people know each other!" He laughed again.

"Was he in your society?"

"Oh yes. Good man, Hyun Su. He had a very nice pai sho set. Made of ivory. Painted by the Air Nomads. But you've seen it."

She blinked at him again.

"Is your game improving?"

"I… yes… wait, he talked about my pai sho skills?"

The only answer she got was a snort.

She meditated on this for a moment, staring at the dancing fire.

"We like to play pai sho around here. You need to be pretty good for us to invite you to play."

She looked up to see that he was staring at her intently. One of his green eyes was larger than the other. It seemed prudent to stay silent.

"We are taking back Ba Sing Se tomorrow." His voice had become serious. All traces of laughter were gone and she could tell for the first time that this ancient man held immense power. "Will you join us in reclaiming your city?"

"Of course."

"Even if it means that you cannot help your friends with their own battles?"

She faltered for a moment. If Lee died and she wasn't there to help him, would she ever forgive herself? What of Sokka and Toph and Katara and Suki?

She swallowed. "…They have their own fights and I have mine. Our paths must diverge for a time."

He grinned at her. "You will make an excellent addition to our group, Jin of the Jasmine Dragon."

"My name's …" But he had already stood and walked away, surprising her with his agility.

* * *

She said goodbye to Sokka, Toph, and Suki before they mounted their eel-hound. Sokka's battle would be against the airships. In a way he had helped create the armada, so it was only fitting that he would bring them down. And after all, he was the only one who knew how they worked or how to fly them. He was hopeful that Aang would appear and he would get to help, or at least get to witness the final battle. The group was in high spirits as they dashed away.

Lee's battle would be for his throne. He was confident that he could defeat his sister. He was a dragon and she was crazy and Katara would be there to help. This was his moment.

If Aang did not show up, then Sokka would try to take down the Fire Lord along with the rest of the armada. If Sokka failed, then Jin would stop him at Ba Sing Se. If she failed, then Zuko would take down the Fire Lord once he returned to the capital. The situation was nowhere near ideal, but they were prepared. They would die for this, knowing that someone would take up the cause when they were gone. They would die knowing that at least some would be saved.

Jin hugged Katara and wished her good luck as Zuko hugged his uncle. Then it was time to say goodbye to Lee.

As he held her tight, she felt as though someone had reached into her chest and squeezed both her lungs uncomfortably. She loved him so much that it ached. Was that normal? Did everyone feel that way when someone they loved faced destruction? He may die and she may die and this might be the last time she would ever see him, the last time she would feel his cheek against hers, the last time she would feel his warmth. It took her a moment to clear her throat enough to speak.

"Come back to me" she whispered against his ear.

"I will."

"…Come back to me … and make me your stupid concubine."

He stilled for a heartbeat. Then he pulled her so close that she thought that she might melt into his chest. He grabbed the back of her head and planted a burning kiss that left her breathless and dizzy and full of fiery embers.

"I promise" he said, and then he was gone without a backwards glance. Aapa grew smaller and smaller by the second until he was only a speck in the distance, until she was unsure if she was still seeing him at all.

Mushi placed a hand on her shoulder and led her slowly back to camp.


	24. Sozin's Comet

**Chapter 24: Sozin's Comet**

Jin stood with the Order of the White Lotus about a half mile from the Outer Wall. It looked as though the sky was burning, consumed by fire. The same fire that would destroy the city. The same fire that was burning in her veins.

She had never seen Mushi look so fierce. The ring of fire around them grew with every breath he took. Jin was so awed by the sheer power he held that couldn't even feel afraid. Mushi was on her side, but there were hundreds of others who would turn this strength against her – a thin girl with no bending and second hand swords.

But she drew power from the comet too. The muscles in her arms and legs were tensed for battle and adrenaline pulsed through her veins so strongly that it was almost painful. This was the moment when they would retake her city. What was different between this moment and a month ago when Smellerbee had pushed for revolution? She couldn't say. It was just a feeling.

She tightened her grip on her tiger hooks and took a stronger stance. Next to her, Piandao tensed as well.

Mushi brought his hands forward and the fire surrounding them was pulled in front of him. For a moment it condensed and gathered energy. It formed a seed of fire, which then erupted and flew forward, blowing a hole through the Outer Wall, sending debris and flame in every direction. For the first time she recognized Mushi as General Iroh, Dragon of the West. She understood why he sometimes held his jaw tight, and why there was pain in his eyes.

Before she could process this further, they were flying forward. The ground beneath her feet was rushing across the wasteland towards the broken wall, towards the battle.

The first shots were fired at them from the top of the wall as they passed. Jin felt no fear and did not even blink as Iroh deflected them easily.

She hit the ground running as they passed the Inner Wall and she was bucked off the platform. She rushed at the soldiers running towards her, jumping and slashing and sliding along the ice floor formed by Pakku before it was melted by a fire blast that was so close that she immediately began to sweat. Another blast and she ducked into an alleyway, quickly scaling a rain gutter and darting back across several roofs to land behind a group of four fire benders. They fell before they had time to turn around. She spun and dodged a blast from a tank and kept dodging them as she ran down the street. Another group of soldiers, ten this time, and again she disarmed some and wounded others. Clang clang clang squish clang splurt. She caught up with Piandao in the square and back to back they took on the next group of fire benders. The benders were gorged on power, and it was making them slow. Twist slash jump kick spin slash clang clang stab duck kick jump slash.

The battle raged on and on as they fought their way through the city block by block. It felt never ending, never pausing. She was running and running and running on adrenaline, on the fire burning in her arms and legs. It was almost mechanical as she threw herself time and time again into danger without any thought, and it was wild like an instinctual animal, ferial, dangerous.

The Middle Wall was well defended. Iroh landed about three feet in front of her and joined her attack on the gate. He hopped, landed hard, and created a wall of fire. Jin did not stop running as she passed him and the wall moved with her, barely ahead, shielding her from sight. It pushed past the counter fire from the first line of benders and threw them back off their feet. Still surrounded by flame, she leapt over their falling bodies and came down in the midst of the second line. Slash slash twist cut duck slash stab jump. She ducked to the side, out of the way, shielded by the wall as Iroh's next burst of fire roared through the gate, taking down several more benders.

They were past the tanks now, and hitting those troops sent from the Upper Ring and the palace as reinforcements. Her breathing was heavy and the heat was so intense that her clothes stuck to her body in a disgusting way. She ripped off her tunic mid attack as the hem caught fire. Her knee embedded in a fire bender's face, cracking his skull-like mask. Clang clang slash clang slash slash slash slash shit. She took a step back before lunging her sword into a soldier's stomach. Her arm was sliced open, but she couldn't feel it.

Several streets further and she was again with Piandao in another square, this time they were surrounded by fire benders and a handful of Dai Li. Rock hands flew towards her only to be knocked out of the air, the ground moved beneath her feet only to cause her to leap through the smoke, dodge a fire ball, and cut down two Dai Li. Slash slash, dodge a rock spike, clang slash spin, dodge a fire blast, clang. They were outnumbered. Oh spirits, they were outnumbered. Dodge a fire blast, dodge a fire blast, slash stab kick, dodge a rock, clang clang.

Then they had help. Someone was fighting next to her and fire benders were falling. A blood curdling war cry cut through the roar of the inferno and the rumble of the ground. She was locked in battle with a fire bender who she just couldn't hit. Dodge dodge block thrust twist dodge spin flip stab block. He managed to knock her off her feet and stood over her, his fist full of fire, ready to end her life, ready to incinerate her face just like that man in the Agni Kai, just like Lee. Suddenly he twitched. His fire went out. As he fell forward she saw five arrows in his back, and Longshot standing over her in his place. She shot him a grin and jumped to her feet to engage another Dai Li.

Three blocks further on, she was forced into an alley again when the street was completely engulfed in a violent jet of flame. The cobblestones against her back were hot to the touch and the space was made even more unbearable by the sudden lack of oxygen and the imposing red sky above. She was starting to feel the stitch in her side and the pain in her arm. The wound was bleeding freely and it was dirty from her sweat and the dust from broken sidewalks and buildings and the ash and smoke that was billowing through the streets. She almost wished that she hadn't discarded her tunic, so she could wrap the wound. Ugg. She had to keep moving. If she stopped again she might not be able to start once more.

The fire in the street eased up and she darted another block before the blaze picked up again and she was forced into yet another alley. Pressed against a wall, slightly light headed, and feeling the heat across her face, she was pulled from her thoughts by someone laughing next to her. She looked up to see Genki.

He grinned at her and yelled to be heard over the din of the flames, "Looks like this street is out of order."

She laughed "Yeah. You hurt?"

He looked at the gash across his chest. "Yeah, but I'm not pansy enough to quit and miss the party." She grinned at him, then put her foot in his cupped hands and was thrown onto the roof.

From her new vantage point she saw Bumi, flanked by several resistance members, send a wall of earth at the fire benders blocking the street. She ran along the rooftops making it to the Upper Wall before seeing another enemy. She dashed towards the group of soldiers protecting the Upper Gate. Slash slash cut spin huff huff stab slash jump huff huff. The guards quickly fell back behind the wall, trying to force her through a bottle neck. Instead, a boulder crashed through the wall beside the gate and Jin leapt though it to come at them while they were blinded by dust and flying rubble. Bumi launched himself through the hole following right on her heels.

The forces in the upper ring had all been pulled back to guard the palace and it was a straight shot along a wide boulevard. Run. Run. Run. Huff huff run. She was getting tired and she shook herself to not give in to the pain and the heat and the exhaustion. Run. Run. Run.

Bumi rolled past her, riding a wave of cobble stones towards the palace. He pushed the hill he was riding through the final wall, solidified the forming cloud of dust into projectiles, and threw them at the Dai Li who were speeding down the palace steps.

Jin raced up the stairs twirling around the Dai Li, kicking and punching. She threw herself to the ground as a stone fist flew at her head. She spun around on the stairs, kicking out at two Dai Li and sending them stumbling downwards. She jumped to her feet and ran another ten steps before cutting a spike in half and leaping over it. Huff clang huff. The steps beneath her disappeared to form a steep incline, and she fell, sliding. She lodged her tiger hook into the rough slope, creating a shower of sparks and slowing her fall. Then the ground undulated again, this time throwing her forward, shooting her towards the nearest Dai Li. She didn't quite dodge the spike he shot at her before slitting his throat. She stumbled upon landing and her side exploded in pain where the make-shift rock dagger was still planted in her exposed flesh.

Spirits. Spirits. She was almost hit by another projectile from the Dai Li, but blocked it awkwardly. Keep moving.

Sprint jump slash jump slash slice slash. Why were there so many stairs? Slash slash kick block clang punch dash. The Earth King definitely didn't need this many stairs.

She reached the entrance to the palace just as Iroh set the Fire Nation banner alight. The ash rained down on her, stinging her arms.

The Dai Li were dropping down on her from above. They were hiding in the rafters. They were clinging to the ornate columns. Dodging their attacks was getting more and more difficult, and she was bumping into new rock formations that rose on her left, on her right, on her left again. She was losing focus. She had lost her root.

Control, Jin, control. Just breathe and focus.

She fell into combat with two Dai Li and managed to incapacitate both before three more were upon her. Clang clang clang dodge slash clang spin kick clang clang. Next was another two. Then there were four. Then she was through the hall and running down a slightly smaller corridor looking for somewhere Quin Wei might be.

She passed a pair of servants cowering in an alcove and threw herself to a stop. She took up the most menacing pose she could, which wasn't too hard considering, and shouted "Where's Quin Wei?" One shrieked and clutched her companion more tightly. The other pointed a shaky finger down the hall. "On… on your left."

Jin didn't bother to thank them and took off again. She could hear the sounds of battle growing closer, following her into the palace. She could feel herself favoring her left side, running with a slight limp. Keep moving.

Down the hall and on her left she found an ornate door, which she kicked open with a resounding bang.

Quin Wei looked terrified. He tried to hide behind his wife without success. Jin took three steps and crossed her tiger hooks over the governor's throat. His eyes bulged and he jumped, thus nicking his Adam's apple. Jin glared at him, expecting him to have something to say. Instead he opened and closed his mouth several times like a lost fish.

His wife was the one who spoke. "Please." Her eyes were pleading. Her face had an inexperienced look to it. It was as if she had never frowned before, as if her forehead had never before creased that way. It was like the first fold across a sheet of paper: sharp and stiff and undeniable.

For some inexplicable reason, Jin felt self conscious in front of this woman. Strands of hair had come loose from her once tight braid. The free locks were either plastered to her face and neck with sweat, or frizzled with the smell of burning hair. Her once crisp and white chest wrappings were now black with soot and dirt. Her pants were blackened and there was a rip in her knee and a burn on her thigh. Her leg just beneath the scorch mark stung in the cool, still air of the palace, telling her that she was injured. Blood was flowing from her side and arm and a hundred other scrapes and cuts. She was splattered with blood that was not her own.

She was a stinking, exhausted mess, and she was standing within arm's reach of this perfect woman. Perfect hair, perfect clothes, perfect finger nails. Only that one crease in her forehead marred her appearance. Only this one experience had caused her alarm.

"Please have mercy." Her eyes were filled with a depth of emotion that made Jin hesitate. They might not be so different after all.

Behind her several people ran into the room, coming to a stop just inside the door. Jin could tell from the new fear in the governor's eyes that they were with the resistance.

She took several more breaths, attempting to bring some control to her flagging endurance. With an echoing SHING, she withdrew her tiger hooks.

"Take them into custody. Put them in a cell."

"Yes, ma'am."

Her glare did not falter as several men stepped forward to take the governor and his wife away.

The sounds of battle were drawing closer and Jin hurried from the room and sprinted down the passageway. Spirits, she was tired, but she needed to keep moving. Just a little more. Just a little longer.

The passageway opened into a wide hall, where a full out battle was taking place between the remaining Dai Li, the resistance, Piandao, and Bumi. She threw herself into the battle, slashing several Dai Li before Piandao yelled at her. "Keep going! Third door on your right! We can handle this."

Jin didn't know what exactly was in the third door on her right, but she immediately headed that direction, dodging a falling column, a stone fist, a mis-aimed sword, and the sudden rock formations that exploded out of the floor.

She was running down a smaller, darker passageway and the sounds of the battle were fading quickly. She slid to a stop in front of the third door on the right, gasped for breath, winced at the pain in her side, and kicked in the door of Long Feng's study.

He did not look up from the scroll he was writing. For a moment she stood in the doorway and the only sounds were the crackle of the green fire behind him, the soft shuffling of his brush, and Jin's heavy breathing. It was overly calm, unnaturally quiet and still. It was unnerving and her tension and anger were growing.

He carefully set down his brush and glanced up at her with an air of indifference. "You look tired, Jin. Have a seat."

"No."

"Very well. I can understand if you prefer to stand during our discussion."

"Discussion?" The question came out winded and she cursed herself for showing signs of fatigue in front of Long Feng.

"Yes. Our discussion of the great danger you have thrust upon this city."

Jin snorted.

"You don't believe me? You don't believe me while this stunt of yours is burning the city to the ground? While people on both sides are killed or injured? And what of your previous acts? How many men died under your command in the name of resistance?"

"You're no better. You'd have us submit to Fire Nation tyranny."

"I would have us survive. I am a cultural minister. I preserve Ba Sing Se's great cultural heritage that has lasted through three hundred years of regime changes. The only difference between the Fire Nation and Kuei is a flag. Other than that life did not change and no lives needed to end in violence."

"You're a coward, and a traitor."

"So you've come to kill me?" he asked mockingly.

"Yes."

"I don't believe you're –"

Jin hurled the bladed handle of her tiger hook. On instinct he blocked it with a pillar of stone that rose out of the floor and burst through his desk in an explosion of wood shards and splinters. The blade embedded in the column with a resounding twang. Unseen behind the rock barrier and moving only a touch slower than her flying tiger hook, Jin darted around the stone and buried her sword in Long Feng's stomach.

Time seemed to stand still. The dust of stone and wood shards hung thick in the air. His eyes bulged and a small trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. She had never felt such rage – a cold and focused wrath as she glared into his surprised eyes, slowly clouding over with pain.

Breathing deeply she spat out, "That's for my mother."

With a sickening squelch, she twisted her blade. He choked and convulsively grabbed the blade in his belly.

"That's from Smellerbee."

She ripped the blade out, slicing his hands. He fell forward onto his knees and vomited a shower of blood.

"That was from Suri," She snarled. "And this is from Lee."

She kicked him hard in the face. His nose broke with a crunch and a splurt. He collapsed onto his back and lay prone on the floor.

She pressed her foot against his chest. His hands fluttered in some last attempt to protect himself, then fell weakly. His eyes were unseeing. His breath came in gurgling rasps.

Her muscles began to seize up and her breathing was becoming more and more strained. Her anger was subsiding now. It was replaced by the desire to weep uncontrollably but didn't know why -or more likely she didn't want to acknowledge why. In just a moment it would all be over. In just a moment she could rest. In a moment her people would be at peace.

She laid her blade against the side of his neck.

This was what she had to do.

"And this … is from me."


	25. After the War

**Chapter 25: After the War**

Dear Jin,

Running a country that just lost a war and whose economy has just collapsed is impossible.

Aang has a bunch of ideas for how to help out, but most of them are really stupid. He thinks we should use the navy to give world tour cruises and that we should offer to let people jump from the airships into the ocean because it would be fun. I'm running a country not an amusement park.

He did however come up with the idea to rebuild one of the Air Temples so he can have a base to restore the Air Nomads. He has a plan on how to do that, but it was a bunch of complicated Spirit-World Avatar stuff that didn't make any sense to me. We could send a group of soldiers to help with repairs. It would be work for the soldiers (most of whom are now unemployed) and it would be a small step toward reparations with the Air Nomads (which right now is just Aang. It's a good thing that he's easy going about it.) He's thinking of starting with the Western Air Temple as it's closest to the Fire Nation, and is in the best shape, but he's also considering the Southern Air Temple. It's his home after all, and then he would be closer to the South Pole. But I think he's hesitant to see Fire Nation soldiers there again.

Toph has already agreed to lead the reconstruction group. She may be on speaking terms with her parents, but she's not ready to go home yet. I told her that she can stay in the Fire Nation in an advisory capacity for as long as she wants.

She's already been very helpful. I met with each of the Admirals and Generals and advisors to find out who was loyal and who needed to retire to Ember Island. Toph sat behind my throne and whispered if they were lying or not (and other things that were less useful.) She's having a good time.

Demilitarization is going very slowly. I had a few Captains the other day who refused to return from their post because they didn't recognize me as Fire Lord. I had to send out a few of my own ships to bring them back, and there was a sticky moment when I thought shots might be fired. Everything turned out alright, but the situation is still tense.

I got yet another death threat today from a group of Ozai supporters. I really hope that all they do is send threats, but security has been tightened around the palace. That makes it difficult to present myself as an open, listening, reachable leader.

Please, don't worry about it. It's no big deal.

Katara says that she's healed my chest wound as much as she can. She says that I'll be fine, but it still aches and I can't lift my arms over my head. I think she was getting really irritated with me because she was really excited and disappeared as soon as Aang showed up. I'm glad that she's stopped pestering me all the time about how I should rest and "Any news on when Aang's getting here?"

Now she has to deal with Sokka's complaining. He whines ten times worse than me.

Sokka's having a rough time. He's still walking with a crutch, Katara keeps nagging him about his leg, he lost his boomerang and his space sword in the final battle, and it's pretty obvious that Suki's going to dump him after the peace talks and go back to Kyoshi Island while he returns to the South Pole. It's kind of miserable to be around him.

How is the Jasmine Dragon? Has it changed much since I was last there? They've changed management a few times since then. I'm sure Mimi has a lot to say about the subject.

I wish you were here. See you soon.

Love,

Lee

* * *

Dear Lee,

I'm so sorry I missed your coronation. I'm devastated. I hate myself. The biggest day of your life and I'm stuck here with these idiots. I'm very glad you'll be here next week. I've missed you, and I need to see for myself how bad your lightning injury is. I know that you haven't been taking care of it. I don't care how busy you are, I want you to eat three meals a day and get lots of sleep and don't over exert yourself.

Still no luck finding someone to head the Dai Li. We managed to round them all up and put them in holding cells. There weren't enough cells to hold earth benders (or earth benders who aren't drugged), so we had to build a bunch of new ones. It's a nightmare. We went through the Dai Li's records and guess what. We found Hyun Su. He and about a dozen other masters were brainwashed and were acting as Dai Li agents. The water benders are working on them, but they aren't having much luck. I've written to the Northern Water tribe and asked if they could send some master healers with their delegation to the peace talks. I'm hoping that they can take a look at some people who have had their earth bending removed. I need to ask Aang what he thinks about that, and maybe I'll write to your friend Ty Lee.

There are a handful of Dai Li who went with Princess Azula to the Fire Nation. I heard that they were banished, but they haven't shown up here. Maybe they heard that we were rounding up the Dai Li and made a break for it. But I'm worried that they might pop up here and make trouble. Can you keep an eye out for me?

The rebuilding of the outer wall is going well. It's apparently much harder to build a wall than to take it down. I went out today to take a look at their progress. Everyone is in high spirits and a group of women come by everyday with food for the workers. They even had someone play the tsungi horn during a break. It made me think of you. I bet that makes you happy.

Rebuilding after the fires is not going as smoothly. Several nobles think that the lower ring rebuilding is a lower priority and they're being pretty snooty about the manners of the lower ring work details rebuilding in the upper ring. I told them that if they didn't like it then they could do the work themselves. I think they just want something to bitch about.

Dr. Isamu says that they're going to reopen the University for the fall term. It's good news even if I won't be going.

The earth sages are planning to crown "our glorious new monarch" tomorrow. I think the ceremony will be nice. It's going to be small and quick. It'll be nothing in comparison to yours, I'm sure, but it's still been a pain to organize. Maybe Kuei will show up this evening and it won't happen. But there hasn't been any word from him and no one seems to think he's coming back.

Your uncle is doing well. He's going to serve tea at the coronation. He's very excited about it. He's been joking that the girls are running the shop so well that they've made him obsolete. Everyone's still calling him Mushi and the girls' attitude toward him hasn't changed. Quon was shocked to find out that he was the Dragon of the West. Pao was too. I stopped in to see him on my way back from the wall this afternoon. When he saw me he screamed and broke the pot he was holding. Poor thing.

Mimi says to tell you that you're an ass for getting captured, and a jerk for being crowned Fire Lord and not coming back. I think she misses you.

I told Smellerbee about your mother. She immediately volunteered to go look for her. I think she's already itching for another adventure. Longshot, on the other hand, wants to move out to the country and live a peaceful life on a farm. I've no idea what they'll end up doing.

I'm sorry that General Sung is such an idiot. I really wish he wasn't. His idea of having the peace talks on neutral ground was a good idea, but I have no clue where he got the idea that Ba Sing Se was neutral ground. Jerk. It would have made so much more sense to have the peace talks in the Fire Nation, as most of the delegates were there anyway for your coronation. Then I would have been able to be there. Thank you for being so reasonable about it, I guess.

You're going to be greeted like a hero here. They've planned a parade all the way from the outer wall to the palace. Wear comfortable shoes.

How is your sister? Any change? Is she still catatonic? How is Ozai? Remember that he only spits on you because he loves you.

I'm so sorry that you have to go through all of this. I know it must be extremely difficult for you. I wish I could be there to give you love and encouragement and strength, but remember that I'm with you in spirit and that you are brave and good.

I love you and I always will.

Yours,

Jin

* * *

Dear Jin,

Tell Mimi that whatever I'm up to doesn't change the fact that she's a slut. A freckled slut.

How was the coronation? I'm sure my uncle had a fantastic time and wants to talk about it with everyone. I wrote to him and congratulated him on serving tea to the new Earth King so there's no need to remind me to do it. I also wrote to the Earth King and gave him my congratulations and a token of friendship, so you don't have to remind me to do that either.

At long last I finalized the list of delegates that the Fire Nation will be bringing to the peace conference. This is a great load off my mind. I sent all the information to the peace talk organizer, but I kind of suspect that that's you. Am I right? Well, if it is, then you will be getting a very formal letter from me that talks about a whole lot of boring crap. If it's not you, then be glad that you don't have to read all that.

Toph got in a fight with one of the palace guards. They destroyed one of the gardens and then became best friends and went and caused more damage in town. I threatened to send her back to her parents and murder that guard, but she just laughed at me. What am I supposed to do with her?

Sokka's been haunting every weapon shop in the capital trying to find a boomerang. None of them are up to Southern Water Tribe standards and I told him that he should just wait a few weeks until he gets back home instead of complaining about it and bothering all the merchants.

Azula came out of her stupor a few days ago. She started shrieking gibberish and pretty badly scratched one of the nurses who was holding her down. They drugged her and now she's back to being catatonic. They're keeping her nails trimmed now. She didn't try to fire bend. Maybe that's a good thing. It means that she didn't blow up half the hospital. But it worries me a little. Maybe she's forgotten how.

They've been bringing her outside and she sits on the grass for hours and moves her face to follow the sun. They cut her hair short. It actually looks nice. Ty Lee used the word "cute." She went to go visit Azula the other day. Mai didn't go with her because she's still too angry.

Ty Lee says that she would be happy to talk to you or the healers or whoever about the flow of chi. She doesn't know if she will be any help, but she says that the more knowledge you have, the better. She and the rest of the Kyoshi warriors are coming with us to Ba Sing Se for the peace talks. When they're done they're all going back to Kyoshi Island, and from there the Water Tribe and Aang are continuing on to the South Pole.

I have a suite set up in the palace for you. I think you'll like it, but you can change whatever you want. I tried to tone down the reds, so it's mostly golds and browns. There's a private courtyard attached with a little pond and some orchids. I don't know what kind they are, but the gardener says that they're good ones. I also met with your team of personal servants. There are three of them (an old woman and two teenage assistants). They all seem very nice and competent and they understand that you're not used to palace life. I told them to get your wardrobe ready for you, but that you were particular about your clothes and might want to pick your outfits out yourself. I also had the staff clean up the library. I remember it being pretty nice when I was a kid, but it's fallen into disrepair lately. I had someone buy a bunch of Earth Kingdom stuff to supplement the collection. I hope you like what he picked out. I recognized a few of the titles.

I've also been interviewing private tutors so that you can continue your studies if you want. There is one very interesting applicant who focuses on history and politics and public policy. He was very interested in your ideas about using mass media to bring information to the public and draw attention to wrong doings. He sounded a lot like that guy you liked at Ba Sing Se University. You know: kind of an ass. Then there is another one who is a writer and poet and musician. He'd be good if you really want to focus on your style. I'm not really sure which way you want to go. I'm enclosing a copy of their applications. Let me know if I should expand my search to the Earth Kingdom.

I'm excited to see you again and show you the palace. I really hope you like it.

I love you,

Lee

* * *

The new Earth King sent him a rather nice letter. It covered all the typical topics: congratulating him on his coronation, thanking him for his part in ending the war, offering the hand of peace and friendship between their two nations, and that he was looking forward to seeing him at the peace talks. Zuko had received hundreds of such letters.

The royal seal was at the bottom where a signature would be. Like all other Earth Kings, it was in the shape of a coin – a circle with a square inside. Kuei's had had a carp arched across the top and the phrase "For a tree to become tall it must grow tough roots among the rocks." Whatever that meant. But the new Earth King had a dragon encircling the square. The beast was entwined with what looked like cherry blossoms.

Why was a plant strangling a symbol of the Fire Nation on the Earth King's royal seal? It was beyond weird, and Zuko decided that it did not bode well.

* * *

Upon arriving at the Ba Sing Se Port, they were greeted by an Earth Kingdom guide, whose name was surprisingly not Joo Dee. She was polite, enthusiastic, and pushy. Toph hated her immediately, but it took Zuko about an hour to decide that he didn't like her.

She brought detailed instructions on how the parade was to be conducted straight from their new glorious monarch (as absolutely everyone phrased it.) That was fine, as Jin had already forewarned him about the celebration. The bad part was that the guide came prepared with a set of fine Earth Kingdom robes for Zuko to wear.

He blinked at her. "Why? I have my own clothes."

"Our glorious new monarch feels that it would be prudent for you to enter the city as a resident of Ba Sing Se and as the esteemed hero Lee of the Jasmine Dragon instead of marching in as the Fire Lord at the head of a Fire Nation delegation. I'm sure you understand that the last time the Fire Nation entered the city it was an unpleasant experience."

Fine. Whatever. He was trying to be nice and make everyone happy and he didn't really have a reason to argue with her. It was mostly just annoying that the Earth King was already trying to push him around.

The clothes were really nice – not that he was going to say that out loud. It was the kind of outfit that he used to wear while living in the upper ring, only made of nicer fabric. Just to be difficult, he changed during their guide's explanation of the parade setup and route. Aang and Sokka snorted and the guide turned red, but she continued as if he was giving her his full attention.

They lined up outside the outer wall, not looking forward to the all day trip to the palace. Thankfully, they provided him with an emu-horse so he wouldn't have to walk the whole way. He could have done without it. It's just that he would have complained the whole time.

Absolutely nothing happened as they passed through the agrarian section. They didn't see a living soul and the harolds that marched in front of them didn't even bother with their chant. It was a pleasant day and he decided to take it easy and enjoy the scenery. Sokka struck up a conversation about what kind of food the new Earth King was going to feed them.

"I hope it's boar-goat. Ooo! And cake. Lots of cake with strawberries and that nice sweet stuff. What's that stuff called?... It's brown and sweet and tastes good?... Anyway, I hope they have it. Do you think they'd get it if I asked?... What if I asked real nice?... I'm a hero damn it!"

The party really started when they entered the lower ring. It was as though they were hit by a wall of sound as the gates opened. They were engulfed in cheers and confetti. People were crowded along the sides of the street, shoving one another to get a good view. Children were lifted onto their parents' shoulders. People waved from second and third story windows.

The harolds began their chant.

"People of Ba Sing Se, make way for your heroes.

Avatar Aang, the last air bender, who has defeated Fire Lord Ozai and brought an end to the great war.

Brave Master Katara, of the Southern Water Tribe, the Avatar's water bending master.

Mighty Master Toph Bei Fong of Gaoling, the Avatar's earth bending master.

Wise Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, who brought down the airship fleet.

Lee of the Jasmine Dragon, who has returned as Fire Lord Zuko and the Avatar's fire bending master.

People of Ba Sing Se, make way for your heroes…"

There was wild applause every time Aang's name came around and then again when Lee's name was mentioned. He found himself smiling and waving and silently admitting that the Earth King was probably on to something by introducing him this way. He could hear another harold quite a ways behind him announcing the Kyoshi warriors.

Sokka and Toph were really getting into it. They blew kisses at the crowd and yelled "thank you, thank you, all in a day's work." Katara tried to get Sokka to calm down, while trying to shush Toph and keep the small girl on her emu-horse.

About three-quarters of the way through the lower ring, he made out a single shout from the crowd. "Lee! Lee!" He scanned the crowd until his gaze landed on a thin woman, who was smiling a sad, beautiful smile, and waving from over a man's shoulder. He pulled his mount to a stop, causing the whole procession to halt in confusion. He slipped from his emu-horse and pulled the woman from the crowd.

Jin's mother enveloped him in a warm hug. "Lee dear. You've done so well." He was so much taller than her that it was a little strange, but for some reason he didn't pay it any mind, just as he didn't give any thought to the crowd watching him. She was a reminder that Jin was near, and this city really did care for him. She kissed his cheek before pulling back and telling him to get a move on and stop by for diner sometime.

The middle ring was less populated and therefore less noisy. Slightly less noisy. They made up for it with the sheer amount of confetti that they launched into the air.

The upper ring was by far the most civilized. No one threw anything at them, and cheered in a very organized sort of way. Or at least they did until the procession passed the Jasmine Dragon. The parade route seemed to be contrived so that they had to pass the tea house, as they made several unnecessary turns that led them straight past.

The girls were on the balcony, with signs and friends and streamers and firecrackers. Their cheering was almost deafening. Zuko just laughed at them and hoped that they wouldn't damage the roof with a stray firecracker.

They dismounted when they reached the palace wall late in the afternoon. Sokka again mentioned the cake that he was expecting to see before Katara elbowed him in the ribs.

The flight of stairs leading up to the palace was long and looked as though it had been recently repaired. They could see a delegation standing at the palace entrance to greet them. Generals and well dressed ministers stood on either side of the Earth King's palanquin. Zuko couldn't see the King's face through the curtains, but he could make out a silhouette. He didn't concern himself with it too much as he probably wouldn't see the man's face for several days.

A spokesman stood next to the palanquin and greeted the members of the Water Tribe delegation on behalf of their new glorious monarch. The delegation was then led into the palace and the spokesmen greeted the Fire Nation delegation.

Team Avatar stepped forward in turn, flanking Aang on either side, and gave low bows. The spokesman began speaking, but his voice was immediately cut off. Zuko raised his head slightly to see the Earth King's thin hand emerge from between the curtains and he immediately averted his eyes downward again. Everyone on the dais fell to their knees as the Earth King stood to greet the Avatar.

"Welcome, Avatar. The people of Ba Sing Se and the people of the entire world owe you their freedom and their lives." Zuko's head shot up. "On behalf of my people, I offer you my eternal gratitude."

Zuko was now standing straight and gaping with his jaw hanging and his eyes wide. What? What the hell?

The new glorious monarch was in fact a Queen - a beautiful Queen - whose attention slipped briefly from Aang to Zuko, causing her familiar smile to flicker ever so slightly. Lee was the only one who could recognize the wealth of emotion in her green eyes.


	26. The Peace Talks

**Chapter 26: the Peace Talks**

Mushi opened the front door of his apartment to see Zuko with one of his more fearsome scowls. Next to him was a guide, whose fake smile barely covered her anxiety.

"Nephew! I didn't expect to see you until at least tomorrow afternoon."

"I'm not staying in that palace" Zuko spat.

His guide's face tightened into a cringe, and Mushi turned his attention to her, ignoring his obstinate nephew. "Can I offer you some refreshment?"

"No thank you, General Iroh." She bowed. "Is there anything you need, Fire Lord?"

"No" he snapped and then pushed his way into the apartment.

She raised her voice slightly to call after him, quavering only slightly, "Then I will return in the morning to escort you to the peace talks."

He growled in response.

Mushi bowed her out and turned to find his nephew slouched at the dining table.

"Were your rooms not to your liking?"

"It's _her_."

"Your guide?"

"No."

"The young earth bending master?"

"Jin!"

"Oh."

Zuko dropped his head into his hands. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"She was hoping that the Earth King would return or she would find a suitable substitute."

"You knew about this too!?"

Mushi sighed and crossed the room. He opened an ornate box and removed a scroll. Taking a seat at the table, he handed the scroll to his nephew. "She came here several times before the coronation. We discussed many people who could be Earth King." Zuko unrolled the scroll to find a long list of names written in Jin's thin handwriting: advisors, ministers, nobles, generals, captains, resistance members, influential merchants, his uncle's pai sho friends, professors, dignitaries, earth bending masters, the list went on and on. "She found them all unsuitable. They were inexperienced, or corrupt, or power hungry, or they did not have the people's best interest at heart."

"All of them?"

His uncle shrugged.

"But why her?"

Mushi took a deep breath. "After she killed Long Feng, she stepped out onto the palace steps to find a crowd waiting there. She raised her sword into the air and declared, 'Victory is ours.' A great cheer went up from the crowd and then a shout. 'Long live the Earth Queen!' Then like a wave, the crowd bowed before her. The people demanded that she take the throne. I think she was more terrified then than at any other moment that night."

Zuko stared at his uncle for a moment. His eyes were pleading and confused. He looked back at the list in his hands. "She was going to come with me to the Fire Nation."

"I know. She had to choose between her own happiness and the welfare of her people."

"What about my happiness?!" It came out even more childish than he had expected. He immediately hung his head in shame, but Mushi just gave him a sad, understanding smile.

"She did not come to the decision lightly."

* * *

Katara justified his absence by telling everyone that he wanted to spend the evening with his esteemed uncle, who he hadn't seen in some time. She also said that he would be back in the palace the next evening. He appreciated how she had covered for him, but was slightly annoyed anyway. He really didn't have an excuse to stay at his uncle's apartment any longer, unless he wanted to cause some sort of international incident.

The peace talks began with a large breakfast feast. From her place at a far table, Jin looked breath taking, and caused him to scowl at the mango in his hand. She took purposefully small bites and chewed each mouthful six times before taking another measured taste. Not that he was watching her or anything.

After that there was an introduction of each of the delegates, an exchange of gifts and some welcoming entertainment provided by their gracious host, the Earth Queen. She had arranged for the Dai Li to set off fireworks. This impressed Zuko for several reasons, but he kept it to himself.

They all then moved into an ornate conference hall with a large square table. The Earth Kingdom sat on one side: Jin, King Bumi, the mayor of Gaoling, General Fong, and General How. On another side sat the combined water tribes: Chief Hakoda, Chief Arnook, Master Pakku, Bato, and Hahn. Aang sat with them, looking rather out of place. Zuko wondered where Sokka and Katara were. Probably having fun somewhere. And where was their grandmother? Didn't she lead the Southern Water Tribe for the last several years?

Jin would probably have something to say about gender equality as she was the only girl in the room. Of course, he wasn't really helping anything. Zuko sat with the newly promoted General Jee, Admiral Chan, Master Piandao, and Fire Sage Shyu. He irrationally wished that Azula was with him, and then felt stupid.

They spent the morning setting the agenda. Aang apparently found this as boring as Zuko did, as he was playing with a marble under the table.

The Earth Kingdom's to do list included Fire Nation de-militarization, the return of conquered Earth Kingdom territories, and a mutual non-aggression pact. He tried not to look at Jin as she spoke in a clear, confident voice. He wanted to discuss new trade agreements and the exchange of technology. Again, he did not look at her as he made his presentation. Instead, he chose to primarily address King Bumi, which turned out to be a mistake as the man made very distracting faces. Aang wanted to talk about rebuilding the Air Temples and the Air Nomad race, and some environmental restoration (re-growing forests and cleaning rivers.) Zuko felt a tremendous gratitude towards Aang. Not only did the kid want to talk about sweet things, but he had also given him a heads up about it. The Water Tribe, on the other hand, wanted to be jerks. They wanted to re-build the Southern Water Tribe (completely acceptable) and the Northern Water Tribe (which Zuko thought was nuts as the damage done during the siege was already repaired.) They also wanted to discuss Fire Nation reparations (hinting that it would be monetary.) Then they wanted to try Fire Nation leaders for war crimes.

Zuko interrupted, "Who exactly do you want to put on trial?"

Chief Arnook had obviously spent the last six months since his daughter's death becoming an ass hole. "We propose that Fire Lord Ozai, Princess Azula, the generals who led the sieges of Ba Sing Se and the North be prosecuted."

Aang's attention had been drawn away from his marble. "But I've already dealt with Ozai. He doesn't have his bending. He's not the Fire Lord any more. He's going to be in jail for the rest of his life."

"Your compassionate solutions do not satisfy us all. We want him executed."

Hakoda looked as though this was all news to him and exchanged confused looks with Bato.

"Princess Azula is in no fit state to defend herself at the present time." If they thought they were going to make a spectacle of his incapacitated sister, then they had another thing coming.

"That is not for you to decide. We also want Fire Lords Sozin and Azulon be tried posthumously."

"What purpose would that serve?"

"It would be a statement. Need I remind you that they committed genocide against the Air Nomads?" Arnook gestured at Aang, "Or did you conveniently forget that fact in order to protect your fore-fathers?"

Zuko ground his teeth. General Jee passed him a note that said "calm down" in thick, bold letters. Admiral Chan spoke up in his place. "We do not try people posthumously in the Fire Nation, as they cannot defend themselves."

"I agree" Jin cut in. "There is little purpose in re-opening old wounds in a public display of power when it will only lead to outrage in this time of fragile peace. We will talk about reparations to the Air Nomads," she exchanged nods with Aang, "and we will discuss re-building your city. However, we will have no victor's justice and the trying and sentencing of former Fire Lord Ozai should be left to the Fire Nation."

Jin felt that that should be the end of the discussion, but Arnook sneered at her. "Of course you would side with the Fire Nation. Does no one else realize that our gracious host, the Earth Queen, is simply a puppet for Fire Lord Zuko? Together they control half the world. How is this accumulation of power any different from Ozai acting independently?"

The room was immediately filled with shouts of outrage. Bato was trying to make Arnook sit down, while Hakoda was shouting that that was not the opinion of the Southern Water Tribe. Hahn was shouting at Bato to let go of Arnook. Both Earth Kingdom generals were on their feet denying the accusations. Jin had gone pale, while next to her King Bumi whispered something in her ear and snorted. Zuko realized that he was on his feet too, shouting as General Jee tried to hold him back.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Wind rushed outward from the center of the room, throwing Zuko backward into his chair. When he was able to look at Aang again, the boy was standing in the center of the table scowling at all of them. "This is a bad way to start peace talks."

Several people had the good grace to look apologetic. Zuko was not one of those people.

King Bumi snorted again and said, "I think it's time for lunch."

* * *

Jin did not come to the banquet hall as she had "urgent business to attend to." Zuko had the urge to leave and find her and comfort her, but he also wanted to avoid her and her pretty, heart breaking face as much as possible.

None of the Water Tribe delegation was there either. They were probably off fighting it out amongst themselves. Zuko had the pleasant mental image of Hakoda punching Arnook in the stomach while Bato held him in a choke hold and Pakku pretended not to notice.

Aang didn't eat anything. He just pushed his food around and looked dejected. "For some reason I thought peace would be easier."

"We don't have that kind of luck."

* * *

Katara replaced Bato in the afternoon session. She filled Zuko in later while pacing angrily around Suki's room. Hakoda had convinced Arnook to drop it by saying that Katara was going to marry Aang (which was news to everyone but Hakoda and Bato), and did Arnook have a problem with how much power _they _would have? Apparently he didn't, but now he had gotten the idea that their marriage was going to be the conclusion of the peace talks. Katara had other plans, but she kept them to herself in public. In private, however, she fumed like an angry tigerdillo while Aang felt more and more embarrassed and rejected.

From then on Katara was referred to as the Water Tribe Princess, because somehow or another the Northern Tribe considered her to have taken over Yue's position. Toph was over the moon and now referred to Katara as "Ice Princess." She also renamed Zuko "Puppet boy" because if anyone was calling the shots, it was definitely Jin. He didn't care for his new name any more than Katara approved of hers, but he had to admit to himself that it was probably true.

Meanwhile Sokka was put out because no one was calling him Prince, and no one had invited him to the meeting. He wondered the palace halls kicking things and mumbling to himself.

"The meetings are so stupid! I mean, what did we accomplish after Arnook's freak out? Aang explained how he was going to make air benders magically appear and no one understood a single word. Then Aang and Zuko signed an agreement that the Fire Nation would fund and provide the labor to rebuild the Western Air temple, which they had agreed to do before we even got here! Gran Gran was right. We shouldn't have anything to do with the North."

"Well, I am glad we got that agreement signed" Zuko said, but neither Katara nor Suki were listening to him. One girl was still fuming and the other was silently making wedding plans and bidding her time until she could reasonably call maid of honor.

He left the room to look for some sanity and ended up tracking down Sokka. As two masters in the art of complaining, they had a great deal to discuss: aching injuries, stupid politicians, annoying sisters, the awfulness of Ba Sing Se, and back stabbing girlfriends. Together with General Jee they got shit-faced-drunk and passed out in Zuko's suite.


	27. The Colonies

**Chapter 27: The Colonies**

Zuko awoke to a bright light on his face and a loud ringing noise. He opened his eyes and found a blurry figure hovering over him. He groaned. If he closed one eye and squinted the other, he could just make out the face above him.

It was Jin and she was upside down.

"Good morning, sunshine."

He groaned again and tried to sit up, but something heavy was holding him down. Craning his neck, he was just able to make out that Sokka was sprawled across him and he was not only snoring, but also drooling. Momo was wrapped around Sokka's head and looked like he had had a hard night as well.

"Should I be jealous?" Jin asked.

Zuko sunk back on the bed and closed his eyes, attempting to go back to sleep.

Above him there was a sigh. "Again." Then there was another deafening clash.

He swore. Jin managed to roll Sokka off of him, and onto the floor, where he landed with a thump and a snort, then immediately continued snoring.

"That was probably bad for his leg," Jin noted.

As Zuko sat up, he realized that the only reason he wasn't hung over was because he was still drunk. He also realized that there were three maids standing behind Jin. One held a bowl of water and a wash cloth, another held a cup of something steaming that smelled disgusting, and the third…

"Is that a gong?"

"Yes. General Jee said that he couldn't wake you and asked if I would like to give it a try." She nodded to the maid, who struck the gong again.

"Cut it out!"

"Then get up and drink this. You don't want to miss the Water Tribe's morning entertainment."

"I'm upset with the Water Tribe."

"Good thing you're attending a peace conference."

"I'm upset with you too."

"You'll get over it."

He took the drink and downed it. His suspicion had been right, it was hideous.

"Come on, we're dividing up the colonies today. You don't want to be out of it or I'll take all your land." She grinned at him and left. He swore at her again once she was gone and was treated to another gong stroke.

* * *

Maybe last night's activities had been a bad idea. Curse the Water Tribe and their obnoxiously loud entertainment of traditional drumming. Were they trying to kill him? Probably. Jin had a smug smile on her face throughout the performance as though she knew just how badly it was hurting him.

He only ate a few bites at breakfast before he felt sick and stopped.

Aang was giving him weird looks. "Are you alright? You don't look so good."

"Yeah. I'm fine."

He had it together enough to give his proposal for the future of the colonies (or "the damned colonies" as he had taken to calling them in private), but he felt as though his head would explode at any second. That day and the next (if they stayed on schedule) would be the most challenging days of the talks. He had been staring at a map of the world for a week, trying to come up with a solution.

The colonies conquered by Ozai, like Ba Sing Se and Omashu had been occupied recently, and it only made sense that the Fire Nation should hand the land back and pull out of those areas completely. The Earth Kingdom talked amongst themselves for an hour before agreeing, with the stipulation that the Fire Nation be gone within six months and demilitarization of the area discussed in excessive detail at a later date.

Aang and Katara were trying to play tic-tac-toe as discreetly as possible. Hakoda looked like he was asleep with his eyes open.

They finally moved on to the colonies that Sozin conquered: the Outer Islands and most of the Nataya Peninsula (or the Western Peninsula, as it was called in the Earth Kingdom as the Fire Nation had renamed the area after Sozin's first wife.) Those of Fire Nation ancestry who now lived there were born there. It was the only home they had known. Their parents were born there. Many of their grandparents were born there. They were invaluable members of the community. If they were required to relocate, they would have no home to return to in the Fire Nation homeland. They had intermarried with those of Earth Kingdom decent to the point that no one bothered to identify their ethnicity.

Zuko wanted these areas to remain under Fire Nation control.

Of course this was asking a great deal. They discussed the economy of the disputed land and how it would collapse if the Fire Nation were completely removed. They talked at length about the ethnic makeup of the territories. They discussed the strategic value of the land (it was prosperous farm land and near to the Fire Nation continent.) He then brought in witnesses from the Outer Islands and the Nataya Peninsula to give testimony to their feelings on the subject.

General How thought that the witnesses chosen by the Fire Nation were definitely biased and demanded to bring in their own people. At this, Jin saved them all from having to wait several weeks for the Earth Kingdom to find their own witnesses by bringing in representatives that she had selected who all reiterated Zuko's opinion. They then brought forth letters sent to Jin and to Zuko and to Aang from people in the territories, most of whom begged to stay in their homes.

General Fong and the Governor of Goaling did not look happy and requested a recess where the Earth Kingdom delegation could discuss the matter.

As soon as he was out of the conference room, Zuko tracked down a servant. "Someone gave me something to drink for my hangover this morning. Can you get me another glass of that? And a damp cloth and a really large pitcher of water."

He was soon lying on a window seat with a damp cloth covering his eyes while Katara, Aang, and Toph played a quiet game of pai sho next to him.

There was a steady stream of people going in and out of the conference room: several of the witnesses were called back in for more questioning, a few military advisors came in, then someone who looked like he was from the university. Zuko was glad that they were taking so long because it would annoy Jin and he could take a nap.

Around lunch he woke up, feeling much better and joined the game of pai sho. Soon afterwards, Sokka stumbled in. He groaned, shoved two pastries in his mouth and lay down in Zuko's vacated spot on the window seat.

"Didn't you just get up?" Katara asked incredulously.

Sokka responded by turning his head towards her slightly and saying "shhhhhhh."

Four games later the sun was setting and Suki and Ty Lee returned from an outing with a very large dress that they just happened to see and just happened to be in Katara's size. An argument broke out about how Katara didn't want the dress and they should take it back and how dare they be excited about her stupid wedding that wasn't going to happen if she had anything to do with it. Aang became very interested in the wood pattern on the table.

Zuko was just thinking about grabbing Toph and making a get away when the recess ended. With a sigh of relief, they filed back into the conference room.

When everyone was seated, Jin stood up. "The Earth Kingdom will allow the Fire Nation to retain the territories conquered by Fire Lord Sozin, with the stipulations that anyone of Earth Kingdom heritage in these territories who wishes to return to Earth Kingdom territories and reclaim their Earth Kingdom citizenship be granted that right." It was clear the Jin hadn't come up with that stipulation. Zuko guessed that it was the Mayor of Goaling, who thought that people would surely want to escape from that terrible area. Zuko figured that not many people would want to leave and if any of them did, then fine, whatever. He was basically getting what he wanted.

"And that the Fire Nation claim these territories in the proper manner. We have prepared our preliminary asking price for the land and resources involved." Oh that did not sound good. Jin handed a scroll to a page, who passed it to Zuko. He studied it for much more time than he needed, just because he could. The price was high, but it was within reason.

He exchanged a look with Piandao. "The Fire Nation agrees to these terms, with the request that this invoice be finalized within the week, and that those who wish to leave do so within the same six month period that has been given for the Fire Nation to leave the recent colonies."

The Earth Kingdom fell into a huddle again, where Jin seemed to have the last word, and snippily said "Agreed. We will adjourn for the day and continue this tomorrow."

* * *

Zuko was getting ready for bed when the stone wall in his sitting room slid open with a rumble and Jin stepped out. He gave her an incredulous look.

"Secret tunnel" she said. "It connects my room to this one."

"What?"

"So I can visit you. I put you here on purpose."

He rolled his eyes as she walked forward and draped herself over his couch. He crossed his arms over his chest and remained standing.

"You've been avoiding me" she said.

"Yes."

"Because they made me Earth Queen?"

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Would it help if I said I was sorry?"

"No."

"You really are impossible."

He growled. "Is there a reason that you're here?"

"I think Chief Arnook is going to carry through with his threat of trying to prosecute everyone for war crimes." Zuko groaned, but she continued "I've done some research-"

"When did you have time to do research?"

She shrugged and reached into a bag she was carrying. For the first time he realized how tired she looked. Despite the feelings in his stomach that urged him toward her, he stood his ground.

"These are three cases where Earth Kingdom courts ruled that it was unlawful to try people after their deaths. Here are two that say you can't be tried for something that wasn't a crime at the time you committed it. I'm not sure that will really work because it goes without saying that genocide is a crime, even though it's not written down anywhere. Then here are three that say that a person should be tried in their home court. They were fairly minor offenses: someone from Gaoling stole something in Makapu, and someone else from Ba Sing Se killed someone's goat-bird in Senlin." She now had several scrolls stacked on his table.

He wasn't going to thank her. "You shouldn't have done this."

"Not a problem." She pulled out a final scroll, which looked much more ancient than the court records. "I also brought you this. It's Water Tribe funeral rights. It describes how to apologize for an accidental death. It might be a nice gesture to Arnook."

"I didn't kill his daughter."

"I know."

He glared at her.

"I'll just set it down with the rest."

"Is that all?"

"Have you considered taking the title of Dragon?"

"No! Why would I?"

"Well, your uncle learned from the dragons and he has the title. I think you should too. That would be neat."

"He took that title to protect them. And it doesn't mean that you learned from them, it means that you killed one."

"Maybe it's time that changed."

He growled.

"You could be Fire Lord Zuko, the Grumpy Dragon, Hero of the Ba Sing Se Resistance, who ended the Hundred Year War."

"Grumpy Dragon?"

She grinned and nodded.

He sighed. "I'm really tired and we're going to have a long day tomorrow."

"Yeah. Alright." She stood slowly and headed toward her secret passage.

Despite the circles under her eyes, she was looking very pretty with her loose hair and thin night robe. Ugg, he couldn't help himself. "That reminds me." She stopped just before she stepped into the passage. "Why is there a dragon on your Royal Seal?"

"Dragons teach that fire is life, not destruction. I'm implying that there are other ways to deal with problems besides violence, and other ways to look at things. Seeing the good in stuff. You know."

He stared at her a moment. "It's a symbol of the Fire Nation."

She looked confused, and then her face changed as if she had had a great epiphany. "You don't get it." She turned back to the table and flipped through several papers until she pulled out a document with her seal at the bottom. She handed it to him so he could look at it again.

It still looked like a dragon being choked to death by a vine-like plant. But that couldn't be it. There was something else here that she wanted him to see. He stared at it. And stared at it. And then it clicked.

It was like one of those jokes that made you want to groan instead of laugh. It was like when his uncle would do something embarrassing that would make him pretend that they weren't related. It was like something that Sokka would have come up with.

The flowers were jasmine.

It was a damned jasmine dragon.

Jin looked smug. He found himself at a loss for words.

"People already call me 'Jin of the Jasmine Dragon'."

He stared at her. "But how did you get away with something so corny?"

"If you didn't already know, I can do almost anything." With a final grin she swept out of the room, closing the passage way behind her.

* * *

The next day, after a traditional Fire Nation ballad preformed on the zheng, they tackled the disaster know as the Azulon colonies. If after three generations of Fire Nation control the area should stay Fire Nation, and after five years of control it should return to the Earth Kingdom, then what about the places where the Fire Nation had been for ten years? Twenty years? Two generations?

On the one hand, there were some Fire Nation citizens that had really acclimated themselves to the area. One Fire Nation merchant claimed that it was only due to his shipping company that his town was able to eat. He wanted to know what will become of his town if he were sent back to the Fire Nation. One woman's mother was ethnically Fire Nation and her father was ethnically Earth Kingdom. Would she have to leave? Could she just have Earth Kingdom citizenship if her town is handed over? An ethnically Earth Kingdom man wrote to say that his Fire Nation neighbors were respected and active members of the community and they didn't see them as "Fire Nation" but as friends.

But on the other hand, there were recent reports of discrimination and hate crimes against Fire Nation families in the area. One family's house was burnt down by an Earth Kingdom mob. They were taken in by sympathetic neighbors, and a division was created in the town. Troops came in to evacuate the Fire Nation family, but they just escalated the situation.

Zuko's solution was to give the territory over to the Earth Kingdom and allow any Fire Nation citizens to return to the Fire Nation if the so wished. He also hoped that if any of them wanted to stay, they would be granted full Earth Kingdom citizenship. It was a lot to ask, as the losers in the war. Admiral Chang argued that it was weak to let people leave and to hand over the territory. He claimed that it was not in the best interest of the Fire Nation. However, Zuko felt differently. The people in the colonies were people of the Fire Nation and he wanted what was best for them, even if what was best for them was for them to become citizens of the Earth Kingdom.

These talks went on for hours. He was very glad that he wasn't hung over as the arguments went round and round in circles. Jin finally called for a recess so that the Earth Kingdom could discuss the situation privately. The recess did not end until the afternoon of the next day. At that point, Zuko called for a recess of his own and the Fire Nation considered the Earth Kingdom's offer until the next morning. They were able to sign an agreement by the afternoon.

The peace talks were already three days behind schedule and had already added three new discussion points to the growing laundry list that was the agenda. Zuko muttered that he would be at that stupid meeting forever. He would grow old and die in this horrible city. He thought about finding Sokka again and maybe they could go to the Middle Ring to drink this time, but then he remembered that he had to get up early the next morning and be productive.


	28. Forgiveness

**Chapter 28: Forgiveness**

The next four days were filled with arguing about timelines for demilitarization.

The three days after that set up tentative trade agreements. They arranged an exchange of things like steam power and heating and smelting for minerals that the Fire Nation had mined in the colonies, but were now under Earth Kingdom control. Zuko offered access to their efficient global communication system (the messenger hawks) and fast transportation with the navy and airships. The thought was that it was first of all a nice gesture, and secondly it would encourage trade and passenger travel.

Zuko realized that Arnook's turn to speak was approaching and that once the chief no longer had to hold his tongue, he would come down on Zuko with a vengeance. When it was so late at night that he was sure that he wouldn't be interrupted, he hesitantly pulled open the scroll that Jin had given him and studied how to apologize. There was a chant in a language that he didn't know that was accompanied by a drum that he didn't know how to play. Then he had to present a gift.

Finding a gift would not be a problem, but finding a gift that said, "I'm so sorry for the loss of your daughter. We will always keep her in our hearts. Could we please move forward together as friends?" was impossible.

He asked to speak to Hakoda and his children the next day, asking if this would be appropriate and if it would be a good idea. He was expecting them to be outraged or at least uncomfortable, but the unambiguous reaction was positive. Katara then devoted all her free time to teaching Zuko the chant.

Sokka appeared at his door that evening with a drum. "You sing. I play."

"Are you sure?"

There was something dark in Sokka's eyes. "It's more my fault she died than yours."

The next day they made plans to replant forests burned down by the Fire Nation, clean rivers polluted by factories, and remove soil contaminants. A great many scientists were brought in for consultation and schedules were drawn up and problem areas were identified. Aang was thrilled.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

The question startled Zuko so badly that he whipped around, bringing the fireball that he was practicing on over his shoulder, directly at the speaker. With a gasp and a spastic movement, he was able to pull his fire ball back before Jin was engulfed in flames.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Her and her damned secret passage. It was an invasion of privacy!

She seemed completely unconcerned about her brush with death and took a seat on the couch to watch him. He studiously ignored her and set about re-forming his fire.

"What are you doing?"

His eye twitched in irritation and he focused on his fire until he realized that she actually did need to know. "I'm apologizing to Arnook."

Her eyes lit up with some emotion that he couldn't identify and he turned away from her to practice and ignore her. "I thought it was a chant. Not fire bending."

He growled. "Katara's helping me with the chant. But I also need to give a gift."

"And your gift is a fire ball?"

"It's not a fireball. It's a fish." He turned for her to see. And why was he showing her? He was ignoring her.

She squinted at it. "Where?"

Agni, he hated her. "Here's its head. And here's its tail. See it?"

She cocked her head to the side as if that would make the shape appear. "It needs fins."

He breathed and flicked his fingers so a flare appeared on either side.

"And make it narrower before the tail."

He managed to do that with another flick.

"Add a mouth."

A swift chop to the fire-fish's head and it opened up like a ramp into a Fire Navy ship.

"Much better. Can you make it more detailed? Maybe some eyes. Some scales."

He was sweating from the effort of forming the living fire into a discernable shape. It took a great deal of careful control and Jin was unknowingly asking a great deal. He took several deep breaths, visualizing his breath and forming it into fire – forming it into a living fish.

"Wow."

The figure sizzled out of existence as his stamina gave out. Jin filled a glass of water for him and he drained it quickly and rested a moment until he caught his breath. He had to admit that he had created a much better koi towards the end. He would need to practice until it came easier.

It irritated him beyond words that Jin had actually been helpful. He had even listened to her suggestions and everything. He was so whipped. He was Puppet boy.

Stupid Toph. Stupid Arnook. Stupid Jin.

He threw his shirt to the floor (completely ignoring Jin's wolf whistle) and spent the next twenty minutes practicing forming the shape. He was sweating profusely by the time he was able to create the fish within a few seconds and maintain it for a good long time. He hazarded a glimpse over his shoulder to see that Jin was still watching him curiously.

Didn't she have something better to do? Why was she even here? Didn't she know that he didn't want to see her? Didn't she know that her presence was distracting and he was working on something rather difficult? Well, it didn't matter, because (again) he was ignoring her.

He took another breather and drank some more water. Phase two of his plan involved getting the fish to swim. He felt Jin's eyes watching him as he carefully danced, every movement of his body controlling some subtle movement of the fish. It took a massive amount of concentration and the koi ended up moving much slower than he had pictured. He secretly decided that he liked it better that way. It took an hour and about a thousand tries before he was able to get the fish to circle his body three times, its tail swishing from side to side, its fins flicking.

He heard another "wow" from behind him. He did it several more times, and then had to take a seat and wipe the perspiration from his face and hands. He was getting tired, and it was getting harder, but he didn't have a lot of time.

The next phase was to control two fish simultaneously. He inhaled, and as he exhaled, he formed a fish in each of his outstretched hands. They both had heads, although they flickered between looking merely grotesque and looking absolutely monstrous. One formed a tail, and then they collapsed like dripping lava.

"Damn it."

He tried again. Inhale. Exhale. Oblong balls of fire with flares sticking out.

Inhale. Exhale. A well made koi in one hand and a shower of sparks in the other.

Inhale. Exhale. Something with a gaping mouth and something with legs.

Inhale. Exhale. Terrifying sea monsters.

"Arrgggg!" Fire erupted from his mouth and he stood trying to control his anger. He was angry at how difficult this was. He was angry at Arnook. He was angry at these stupid peace talks. He was angry at Jin. He was angry at himself.

Two arms wrapped around his sweaty chest, and a silken gown and silken hair pressed against his back. He shrugged her off without speaking or looking at her.

She held still for a moment before she reached for him again, only this time she held him tighter, with more self assurance. He stood there, breathing heavily, agonizing over everything that he had to deal with. Agni, he was so tired. He covered her arms with his own. He gave in to her yet again and took the comfort that she was offering.

"I don't know what to do" he murmured. "I'm so angry and yet I still feel…" His voice trailed off. He had never been very good at expressing himself.

She supplied the words for him. "You don't understand how you can still care about people who've hurt you, and you don't feel right being this mad at people you love."

He sighed and squeezed her fingers gently. "Yeah."

"You have a great many people to feel conflicted about. Azula and your father and your country… and me."

She expected him to say something, but he had no response.

"We mess up in life. Over and over and over again. But the great thing is that we have other chances. The great thing is that the people who really love us … they'll forgive us." Her voice broke at the end and he turned slowly to look at her. If he didn't know better, he'd say that she was about to cry.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, pressing her sleeve against her eye. "I want to go with you. I want it with all my heart. I want to see your home, and the suite you decorated for me, and the library. I want to be with you. But … I just can't. I don't want to be Queen. I tried so hard to get out of it. How can I be a good Queen when I have no idea what I'm doing and when I don't really want to be here?" A tear flew down her face.

Oh Agni.

She was crying and he needed to comfort her. He needed to hold her and try to make everything better. Everything had to get better. It just had to. On instinct he grabbed her and pulled her to his chest. "Shhh. No." Her breath against his neck sent chills down his spine. "You're a great Queen. Look at how much you've already done. You're doing a great job. And of course you want to be here. You want to do good for people and make changes and you are so smart and talented. This is so much better than your wildest dreams."

She sniffled and lifted her face to look into his eyes. Another tear ran down her cheek. "Will you ever forgive me?"

In that moment it was so obvious. "There's nothing to forgive."

She broke down completely. Jin did not cry often, but when she did she went all out. She had heard (but never seen) that some girls cry silently, with single, perfect tear drops, and that their flawless tears made them beautiful. However, when Jin cried, it involved sobbing and wailing and a substantial amount of snot and shaking and gasping.

Zuko held her as she wept, one hand tangled in her hair, the other holding her tightly around the waist. He kissed her through her tears – wet, salty kisses. He kissed her and she cried and he kept on kissing her. Maybe he could bring her some comfort this way. Maybe he just missed holding her and he was doing it all for himself.

Even though she was broken and distressed, Zuko felt better with her in his arms than he had in weeks.

* * *

The next day they planned the rebuilding of the Southern Water Tribe. It would be Fire Nation funded and assisted, with a great deal of help from the Northern water benders.

The day after that was the Fire Nation's turn to provide the morning entertainment. As Zuko and Sokka ascended the stage the hall began to murmur, intrigued to see what the Fire Lord himself had to offer. The assembled dignitaries fell silent as Sokka settled into position and Zuko took several calming breaths. He could see Katara biting her lip, her fists in hopeful balls, praying for their success. The rest of the water tribe looked vaguely confused.

He closed his eyes as Sokka began to drum, not wanting to see the look on their faces as he botched one of their honored traditions and made a fool of himself. Goong, ki tak tak, goong tak tak. Goong, ki tak tak, goong tak tak. Goong tak tak, goong tak tak, goong tak tak, goong tak tak, goong tak tak, goong tak tak, goong ki tak tak. The phrase repeated, and he heard a murmur as people slowly recognized the cadence.

He breathed steadily as the cadence wrapped around again, preparing himself for the moment that he had to speak. Goong tak tak, goong tak tak, goong ki tak tak.

His voice was clear and carrying. He focused solely on matching his rhythm with Sokka and reciting the nonsensical words exactly as Katara had taught him, repeating each haunting line of melody exactly as he had done a hundred times over the past few days.

He was sorry. He was so, so very sorry. Goong ki tak tak.

He wished things had been different, had been better. But there was nothing to do about it now - nothing but to apologize and move forward and learn from his mistakes, learn from everyone's mistakes. Goong ki tak tak.

The chant came to an end, and just as they had practiced, Sokka shifted into a different cadence and Zuko crouched into a bending stance. Goong goong goongoong tak tak. A fish slowly formed in his right hand. Goong ki tak, goong ki tak, goong goong, tak tak. He moved slowly, bringing the koi around in front of him. Goong ki tak tak, goong ki tak, goongoong tak. Then the koi came around his back. Goong ki tak tak, goong ki tak, goongoong tak. It swam over his head in a lilting circle.

As the cadence began again, he added the second fish. With all his concentration, he danced slowly in time with Sokka, causing the fish to swim round one another. They circled each other in slow spirals, swimming in circles around his body, then out along the floor, then back again to ascend into the air. He was sweating and developing a tension headache, but even he was transfixed by the moving fire and noticed the fatigue much less than his previous practice sessions.

Goong ki tak goong. Goong ki tak goong. Goong ki tak goong. Goong ki tak goong. One of the fish flickered out of existence as one koi shimmered alone up into the air. Goong ki tak goong. Goong ki tak goong. It turned slowly, then paused and seemed to hang suspended for a moment before flitting away. Goong ki tak tak.

The was a moment of absolute silence in the hall, during which Zuko felt the panic rise in his throat.

Then the hall burst into applause. The Water Tribes were on their feet. Jin was smiling broadly. The Fire Nation contingent looked at him with renewed awe. They were the only ones to recognize what a difficult production that had been.

He paced slowly down the steps, toward Arnook, who was looking pale. The man suddenly seemed quite far away.

"_What happens if he doesn't like my chant?"_

_Katara had waved him off. "He'll like your chant. Everyone will be impressed."_

"_But what if he doesn't?"_

"_Then he gets to kill you on the spot. But don't worry. He wouldn't do that. You're going to do great."_

He pushed down his fears as he finally came to a stop in front of Arnook, who was staring at him with a crease in his forehead, as though he had never seen Zuko before. The man swallowed and lowered his gaze to the floor, shaking his head slightly as if to rid himself of bothersome thoughts. When he raised his head again, his eyes were filled with unshed tears.

He held out his hand and Zuko took it.

Then Arnook pulled him into a mighty embrace and the applause in the hall doubled. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you."


	29. End and the Beginning

**Chapter 29: The End and the Beginning**

At last the non-aggression pact was signed, the peace talks were brought to a close, and there was – of course – a feast. The Fire Nation delegation prepared to return home, accompanied by Toph and Sokka. Sokka wanted to get a new sword, train a bit more with Piandao, and avoid breaking up with Suki for as long as humanly possible. Zuko welcomed the company.

Since they didn't know when they would next all be together, Katara suggested that Team Avatar should have one last evening together, one last hurrah before going their separate ways. Zuko, Sokka, and Toph wanted to drink themselves silly. This further convinced him that they were going to get along great. But Katara managed to be the voice of reason yet again and they ended up at the Jasmine Dragon, enjoying a quiet evening.

They joked around. They had cake. Sokka painted a picture and was thoroughly mocked. Mushi played Zuko's favorite tune on the tsungi horn without mentioning its significance. Jin systematically beat everyone at pai sho.

The bickering was down to a minimum, which was strange. No one spoke of the future. It was all slightly too nice, slightly too formal. Zuko finally landed on the word "contrived", and decided that it was an accurate descriptor. Jin however labeled it as "bittersweet".

She had just won her third game, smiling victoriously as Suki groaned and Sokka began to splutter. Zuko met her eyes and as the rest of the group was distracted by Katara's attempts to console her brother and Toph's endeavors to make the situation worse, they slipped out of the shop.

They walked in silence for what felt like a very long time. Neither really knew what to say, and they ended up simply walking together, lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, he stopped and she looked up to see that they had found their way to the firelight fountain.

At one point Jin had found this courtyard beautiful. Now she was coming to despise it. It just reminded her of painful memories of torture and heartache and Lee's inconsiderate actions.

The sight stirred her into speaking. "I don't know what to do."

Lee sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

She slumped down on the edge of the fountain and buried her face in her hands.

"I just don't know."

He didn't say anything and another silence stretched between them punctuated only by the sounds of evening in the lower ring: the buzzing of insects, footsteps on the main street, women announcing dinner to their children playing outside.

They had been in this courtyard twice before. Both times he had left her and she had stubbornly followed him. She had followed him despite her better judgment, despite the dangers, and despite his many character flaws that should have pushed her away.

She heard the rustle of fabric as he sat next to her. "Do you want the torches lit?"

"No."

She berated herself that she should never have gone back to the tea shop to see him again after their first date. Back then, she was strong and resourceful. She was a leader. She was a scholar.

But she had followed him. And now she felt drained and fragile. How many times had she cried recently? How many times had she felt alone? How many times had she been unsure of how to continue?

She wasn't sure that she had the strength – or that she even wanted - to follow him again. If she went with him to the Fire Nation, she would be hated by his people. She would lead her life as a docile princess. She would have to leave her friends and family.

But if she stayed here…

She was needed here. She was a leader again. She was respected and she had power and she could change this city for the better. This was everything that she had ever wanted.

So why was the choice so hard?

He slid off the rim of the fountain, onto his knees in front of her, taking her hands into his own. They were so warm and strong and rough and familiar. She looked into his eyes – his bright, expressive eyes.

She remembered why the choice was so very difficult.

"I will wait for you." His voice and his eyes were as serious as he had ever been.

"What?"

"Our countries need us now. We have to be apart for the good of our people. We have to be selfless. I understand that now. But it doesn't mean that we have to end this completely. I'll have to come here and you'll have to come to the Fire Nation. We can take vacations together. We'll go to Ember Island. Every year. In the summer. You'd like that right?"

He reached up to cup her cheek.

"Then someday… someday I'll retire or you'll find a replacement. Someday things will be better and we won't be needed as much. When that happens we'll be together. I will wait for you. I would wait forever."

The tears started to roll down her cheeks again and she bit her lip to keep it from trembling.

"This doesn't have to be the end. It's only the beginning."

He leaned forward to place a chaste kiss against her quivering lips. Her hand shook in his.

"Lee?"

"Yeah?"

A shaky smile emerged amid her tears. "I'd like those lamps lit now."

.

.

.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading and for your support.


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